Lord of the Truth

Chapter 2385 Patience

”Hello.” Robin spoke with a heavy smile that seemed to carry far more weight than such a simple greeting normally should.

”...?” Jabba raised his eyebrows in surprise at the strangely casual greeting, then instinctively lifted one hand and waved back. ”Hello.” Only after doing so did he stare at his own raised hand with even greater confusion, as though he had only just realized what he had done. ”Hey, what am I doing?!”

Then he immediately rushed toward Robin with obvious excitement. ”Master, how did you suddenly appear like that? That was amazing!”

”My Lord.” Althera stood respectfully the moment Robin appeared and began moving toward him as well, though unlike Jabba, her steps remained steady and composed.

”The golden gate? Itʼs a simple trick.” Robin nodded lightly while keeping his gaze fixed somewhere toward the distant horizon, as though what he had just done truly wasnʼt worth mentioning. ”Iʼll teach it to you later.”

”Is it Spacetime?!” Jabba had already reached Robinʼs side by then and leaned closer, staring directly into his eyes with undisguised curiosity. ”Can you teach it to me?”

”It isnʼt about Spacetime itself, but rather the Master Laws. Even the Cosmic Elder can open similar gates.” Robin spoke calmly, yet his eyes remained somewhat distant and unfocused, as though part of his mind was still occupied elsewhere. ”From what I understand, all Master Laws can do something similar once a certain level of mastery is reached... It turns out doing so apparently leaves scars and fractures within the Heavenly Laws, though anyone wielding the power of Master Laws wouldnʼt care about something so trivial... apparently.”

”...?” Jabba stared at Robin for a moment before casting a questioning glance toward Althera, only to find that she too had slightly furrowed her brows after hearing those peculiar words.

Robinʼs manner of speaking and the distant look in his eyes were both noticeably different from usual.

”My Lord.”

At that moment, Sakar descended directly onto the edge of the cliff and immediately lowered himself into a complete bow without the slightest hesitation. ”I greet you.”

”.....” Robin stared expressionlessly at Sakar for several seconds, silently examining him from where he sat, before gradually drawing the same heavy smile onto his face. ”Come, Sakar. Itʼs been a long time since we last met... Youʼve grown considerably stronger since then. Good.”

”My strength came from my Lord.” Sakar straightened his posture again, standing tall and composed before Robin. ”And it shall always and forever be used in my lordʼs service.”

”....” Althera furrowed her brows deeply as she looked at Sakar. This was the first time she had ever heard that man speak since learning of his presence here.

His voice was exceptionally deep, his steps were deliberate and measured, and the aura surrounding him carried a naturally oppressive weight. Even the submissive words he spoke sounded refined and carefully chosen rather than humble or servile, as though it were a king standing there and calmly declaring his allegiance.

That man, Marshal Sakar, was undoubtedly an educated person who had received instruction in the highest Star Academies. Everything about his speech and bearing made that much obvious, which only made it even stranger that someone like him had not been used in the Mid-Sector wars until now.

Then—

Bam

Another person suddenly arrived, and the moment Althera noticed him, her eyes immediately shifted in his direction with an unmistakable trace of annoyance.

”Boss!” Holak spread both arms wide the moment he landed, greeting Robin with his usual lack of restraint.

Then, without wasting even a moment, he immediately pointed straight toward Althera. ”That owl says sheʼs become your personal guard. Is that true?!”

”You insolent bastard...” Althera muttered through clenched teeth while deliberately looking away from him, clearly trying not to react any further.

”Hm?” Robin glanced toward Holak before shifting his eyes toward Althera for a moment. ”Ah, yes. Once she regains her strength, Althera will become my second personal guard. Take care of her until then and introduce her to the Imperial Guards.”

”Leave it to me!” Holak immediately thumped his chest without the slightest objection, accepting Robinʼs order as though there had never been any problem in the first place.

”...?” Althera turned her head toward Holak, clearly caught off guard by the speed of his response. ”Thatʼs it?”

”What do you want me to do, argue with the man?” Holak pointed openly toward Robin as though the answer should have been obvious from the beginning. ”Heʼs already decided, so thatʼs the end of it. All I can do is carry it out.”

”....?” Althera stared at him with obvious bewilderment, finding his sudden change in attitude difficult to reconcile with the man who had spent the past several days provoking her from below. ”So youʼll stop raising your middle finger at me every day?”

”Haha, thatʼs cute.” Holak laughed and gave Althera a heavy slap on the back, looking almost friendly for a moment before his smile abruptly disappeared and his expression became completely serious. ”Of course not.”

”.....”

”...Master.” Of everyone present, Jabba was finally the one to speak, staring carefully at Robinʼs face for several moments as though trying to read the thoughts hidden behind that distant expression. ”You seem distracted, like your mind isnʼt really here with us. Are you alright?”

”....” Robin slowly raised his left hand and began rubbing his forehead, his fingers moving across it as though trying to ease the thoughts gathering inside his head. ”A small problem came up, nothing more, but Iʼll find a solution for it.”

”What kind of small problem could disturb you this much?” Jabba shuddered slightly, clearly unconvinced by Robinʼs casual description after seeing the state he was in. ”Is the sky about to fall on our heads or something?”

Everyone turned toward Robin with anticipation and confusion, waiting for him to explain. Holak stood with his brows tightly furrowed, his attention completely focused on Robin as he waited to hear even the slightest complaint or indication of a problem he could step forward to deal with.

Sakar, on the other hand, merely watched Robin in complete silence and hadnʼt spoken a single word since approaching. His expression remained calm, but from the way his eyes stayed fixed on Robin, it was obvious that he too had realized something significant had happened.

”No, the sky isnʼt going to fall.” Robin revealed a faint smile, trying to make the matter sound simpler than the atmosphere surrounding him suggested. ”I simply have a few suspicions that I canʼt confirm yet, suspicions that, if proven true, would change a great many things... A lot of blood will be spilled.”

Then he turned his gaze toward the distant horizon, allowing several moments to pass before continuing in that same strangely restrained tone. ”...But I canʼt afford to rush into something of this magnitude. I need to be completely certain that things happened exactly as I suspect, I need to make a plan, and I need to prepare properly. Until all of that is done... patience is good, patience is good.”

”...?!”

Everyone began exchanging bewildered glances, their hearts beating noticeably faster as they tried to understand the implications behind those few sentences.

Since when did Robin speak like this? Whenever a problem appeared before him, he would usually shout arrogantly and charge straight into it headfirst, dealing with whatever consequences appeared along the way rather than standing still and repeatedly reminding himself to be patient.

Just how enormous and sensitive could this problem possibly be for someone like him to deliberately restrain himself to such an extent and refuse to act before confirming everything?

More importantly, when Robin Burton—the man currently responsible for most of the wars raging throughout the universe—spoke so calmly about a lot of blood being spilled, what exactly counted as a lot in his eyes?!

”...I think itʼs about time our little sister became acquainted with the Imperial Guards and handled a few administrative matters while weʼre at it.” Holak placed one hand on Altheraʼs small head and gave her a meaningful wink, subtly signaling for her to follow him and leave this place.

The atmosphere had become far too heavy for either of them to remain here without reason, and this seemed like an excellent opportunity to quietly withdraw and give Robin some space to himself.

Althera immediately pinched Holakʼs hand to force it away from her head, clearly dissatisfied with him touching her so casually, but nevertheless began walking alongside him. Whatever was troubling Robin, she truly didnʼt possess enough status or strength at the moment to remain here and listen to something of this magnitude, much less continue questioning Robin about what had happened when he himself clearly wasnʼt willing to explain it.

”Wait.”

Althera immediately stopped when Robinʼs voice reached her. Her casual expression disappeared as she turned around and faced him seriously. ”Any orders?”

”.....” Robin stared somewhat blankly at Altheraʼs face for several seconds, seemingly considering something carefully before finally speaking. ”I want you to take care of someone for me. The task will be difficult and delicate, but I donʼt trust anyone else with it except you.”

”Take care of someone for you?” Althera furrowed her brows deeply, clearly not expecting that kind of request after what Robin had just been discussing. ”...Canʼt you wait until I become a little stronger?”

”....?” Holak immediately stared at Robin with a bewildered expression, feeling strangely betrayed by those words. What exactly did he mean by saying the task was difficult and delicate, yet no one except Althera could be trusted with it? Even if the person in question was the son of a Behemoth, he could take care of him!!

”This requires patience and a great deal of tolerance, not strength.” Robin calmly pointed toward the ground beside himself, making it clear that whatever he intended to entrust to Althera had nothing to do with her current combat ability.

And right before their eyes, something strange began to happen—

Hummm...