Lord of the Truth

Chapter 1364: Sectors 99 and 101

”...I beg your pardon?”

Theo stared in stunned silence for a moment, the weight of Robin’s words crashing down on him.

Then, as if trying to make sense of it through humor, he broke into a wide grin, pointed a finger at his father, and burst into laughter.

”Aha! This is a joke, right? Haha, Good one, Father, really—got me there!”

”.....”

But Robin didn’t even crack a smile. His expression remained perfectly still, calm... save for the slight raise of a single eyebrow.

”...You’re... not joking?”

Theo’s laughter died in his throat.

The humor evaporated instantly as he stared at his father with growing disbelief.

He looked down, muttering to himself, ”Maybe I misheard it... maybe I misunderstood... or—”

Suddenly, realization slammed into him like a meteor.

His eyes flew open.

”You’re Human?! You’re actually Human?!”

”Of course I am,” Robin said smoothly, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

He casually spread his arms, looked down at himself, and nodded in mock admiration.

”What, did my divine beauty confuse you? Did you think I was half-angel?”

”You’re HUMAN?!”

Theo placed both hands on the sides of his head, spinning in disbelief.

”The auction only ended a few hours ago and already your name is flooding every comm-line in the entire Mid Belt! You are—without a doubt—one of the hottest, most controversial figures of this entire era!”

He jumped to his feet, pacing back and forth in agitation.

”When you first emerged, I suspected something. A human with that kind of timing—it matched too perfectly with your arrival in the Belt.

I genuinely believed you were ’him’, and that you were using the code name to obscure your identity.”

He snapped his fingers, then kept pacing.

”But then... I saw your full partnership with the Soul Society.

I figured, ’No way father gets in that deep.’

So I changed my mind—assumed Human was just a Truth Chosen or maybe a fallen Elder Sage working under Soul Society.

And I completely threw the theory out the window today when the reports came in:

Human sold a fifth-stage martial technique, and then—THEN!—had the gall to get into a verbal brawl with Lord Hedrick himself!”

Theo suddenly stopped, turned, and pointed directly at Robin, his face a mixture of amazement and frustration.

”All of that... was YOU?!”

Robin crossed his arms and raised his chin, the expression of a man entirely unapologetic.

”What’s the problem? Can’t I shout at a few self-important lords? I am your emperor, after all.”

”Your wealth!!”

Theo practically shouted, flailing his hands.

”Once we calculate the value of your assets—even after factoring in the Soul Society taxes and deduction fees—you’re sitting on billions, Father!

This—this changes everything! We’re not just stable anymore—we’re rich! We’re monumental!”

Robin raised an eyebrow and gave a sly smirk.

”Correction: I’m rich.”

He leaned back slightly.

”What’s this? Are you trying to inherit me while I’m still breathing?”

He gestured toward the chair Theo had been sitting in.

”Sit down. We’ve got serious matters to discuss.”

”A-ah, right—yes, of course!”

Theo dropped back into the chair almost instantly, straightening his posture, his mind racing.

His eyes, usually sunken in darkness and exhaustion, now gleamed faintly—dark, but lit with a flickering, unfamiliar joy.

But the euphoria didn’t last.

”Wait...” Theo murmured, his excitement beginning to dim.

”The demand for information about ’Human’ is at an all-time high. The intelligence networks across Sector 100 are going crazy. Everyone wants a piece of you.

We might not be able to stop the fallout—”

”Don’t worry about that,” Robin interrupted smoothly, waving his hand as if brushing the problem out of the air.

”One of the reasons I called you here today was to ask for intel on Sectors 99 and 101.

I need to relocate soon—very soon. And I want to make that decision with all the facts in hand.”

Theo paused, then rubbed his chin, thinking quickly.

”Hmm... Sector 101 is currently under the influence of a Behemoth.

That’s kept the entire region in a kind of forced peace. No major power dares make a move there right now.

So, if you’re looking for isolation—peace, secrecy, and quiet—Sector 101 is perfect.

But if you plan on launching any significant operations, building networks, or attracting attention? That place is a dead zone.

Nothing grows there except silence.”

He leaned forward slightly.

”Plus Richard is there.”

”Richard?” Robin raised both eyebrows. ”What on earth is he doing there?”

”After things stabilized in the empire and the new Prime Minister officially took over,” Theo began, ”Richard was originally assigned to Sector 100. But... he didn’t appreciate how closely we were monitoring his movements.

He ended up clashing with the last Shadow Sword I stationed to keep an eye on him, and eventually stormed off to Sector 101.

I think he chose it because we also have a presence in Sector 99, so he figured he’d stay within striking distance if needed.

The distance between 100 and 101 isn’t that far, so he definitely arrived there a few years ago. But beyond that, we haven’t heard a word from him.”

”That stubborn child...”

Robin clenched his jaw for a moment, then let out a slow sigh.

”As for Sector 99,” Theo continued, ”there’s no Tyrant currently inhabiting it. But it’s crawling with hundred-year and thousand-year-old empires, countless clans, and an overwhelming presence of specters and ghost-type lifeforms.

Soul arts and curses run rampant there—it’s basically a massive jungle. A perfect playground for someone looking to stir up trouble.”

He chuckled.

”Also... there’s a certain force that’s been wreaking havoc across that sector for over a century.”

”A force wreaking havoc across an entire sector?” Robin furrowed his brow in disbelief. ”And no one’s stopped them?”

”They can’t,” Theo replied, a sly smile curving on his lips.

”Because you made sure of that. Remember?”

”Me?”

Robin blinked, puzzled—then his eyes suddenly widened in realization.

”...The Imperial Guard?!”

”The very same.” Theo nodded.

”They’re spread out across Sector 99, completing missions far from your current location so they don’t bother Your Majesty.

Their numbers have dropped to 917 after various incidents and ambushes, but their reputation precedes them everywhere they go.

That phenomenon—those walking disasters—are the talk of the entire sector.

And now, word about them is leaking into neighboring sectors as well.”

”Holak and his men have slaughtered dozens of ancient beasts, shattered kingdoms, brought empires to ruin, erased space pirate fleets, and even punched holes in planets just to extract their cores.”

He then snapped his fingers, as if recalling something amusing.

”Oh! About 15 years ago, the three unit commanders made a bet to see who could destroy a planetary kingdom first.

They all succeeded—at the exact same time. It ended in a draw.”

”Argh—what the hell are those idiots doing?! Has Holak cloned himself?!”

Robin dropped his head into his hands in frustration.

”Honestly, I don’t really see the problem,” Theo shrugged with a half-smile.

”In fact, it’s been working out in our favor. The Shadow Swords follow in their wake—harvesting the corpses of slain beasts, collecting resources from fallen kingdoms and collapsed empires, salvaging rare parts from wrecked starships.

They’ve become one of our biggest sources of treasury income.

Actually, today I was going to request your permission to officially claim a number of planets in Sector 99 using the Imperial Guards Honestly, our situation there is far better than in Sector 100.”

”Don’t you dare!”

Robin snapped, eyes flaring.

”If the guards ever gather in large numbers on a single planet, the entire Mid-99 region will unite just to wipe them out after all the damage they’ve done.

Let them stay spread out. It’s safer that way.”

Then he looked downward, clearly annoyed.

”Holak... oh, Holak, what’s going through that skull of yours?”

He stayed silent for a moment, then suddenly slapped his thigh with a resolute hand.

”Alright. It’s decided—I’ll head to Mid-Sector 99. I need to see for myself what’s going on over there.”

”Good choice, let’s get to it,” Theo nodded, rising to his feet, though his thoughts were clearly still scrambled by the discovery of his father’s hidden fortune.

”Wait!”

Robin grabbed his wrist and pushed him back into the chair.

”...How exactly do you plan to handle all those pearls?”