Chapter 1925 The system

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"Hmmm… maybe today isn't so bad after all, in the end."

Robin released a long, slow breath, a deeply satisfied smile forming on his face as the tension finally eased from his shoulders.

Moments later, he glanced to the side, having sensed a stare so intense it felt as though it might pierce straight through his skull. "Why are you looking at me like that?!"

"…Congratulations," Althera finally spoke after a long silence. The envy and lack of acceptance were plainly written across her expression. "Your academy, one that only opens once every two hundred years, has taken the greatest honor history has ever known."

"Haha, well, that wasn't a coincidence at all," Robin replied lightly. "My good deeds have a habit of chasing me wherever I go. What can I do about that?" He placed both hands on his hips, lifted his head slightly, and laughed without restraint.

"By the way," Althera said, clearly provoked by that laughter. She forced a tense, irritated smile. "That disciple of yours-the one you keep ordering around everywhere-looks extremely suspicious. May I know something about what's really going on?"

"Haa-…"

Robin's laughter abruptly stopped. He turned toward Althera, his expression stiffening as a single thought crossed his mind. Damn it.

Because he had remained here for so long, and because of the closeness that had developed between him and Althera after he treated the Cosmic Elder, he had unconsciously begun to treat her as someone familiar, someone close. He had completely forgotten that she was utterly unaware of the existence of the Shadow Swords within the academy.

"Then let me ask you one question," Althera continued. Seeing him fall silent made her furrow her brows slightly as she spoke in a firmer tone. "Are you trying to harm the academy?"

"Of course not," Robin replied immediately, waving his hand twice in dismissal.

Althera held her gaze on him for several long moments, studying his expression carefully. Then she finally nodded and turned, moving toward the door. "Very well. I'll believe you."

"Heh~"

A relaxed laugh escaped Robin as he watched Althera's beautiful back gradually move farther away. "Hey," he called out casually, "girl."

"…?!"

Althera stopped in her tracks.

"When all paths close in on you," Robin muttered quietly, his tone suddenly lower and more serious, "when the system betrays you…" He pointed toward himself with a calm gesture. "You know where to find me."

At first, Althera had wanted to comment on the sheer audacity of this child calling her girl… but his words silenced her completely.

After all, she had indeed come to him today because the paths had closed in and the system had failed her.

Yet she also understood the hidden meaning behind his words all too clearly… /When the system betrays you, you know where to find me./

He was telling her that he would help-but only if she abandoned the old system. Only if she chose to follow a new one.

His system.

He was telling her that he would help if she, the Lady of the Stellar Academy and Monarch Althera herself, decided to hand everything over to him entirely and follow him-rather than seek conditional, restrained assistance.

"Heh~"

Althera let out a small, quiet laugh before continuing on her way and leaving. She made no effort to respond to such a foolish invitation. Wasting her breath on words like no or you're dreaming would accomplish nothing.

It was far better to spend that time thinking of a solution. "Hmmm."

11.

Robin smiled as he watched the Monarch Althera disappear in the distance. He calmly raised his hand and closed the academy's door once more-poof. Then, as he turned and began ascending back toward his apartment, he muttered to himself, "She'll come back."

Middle Sector 101 Planet Bright

"…That's everything that happened."

Orion finally closed his mouth with great difficulty. His face was drenched in sweat, his hands trembling violently. He genuinely felt as though he were on the verge of losing consciousness after such a long, exhausting, and overwhelming day.

He stood in the center of an enormous hall so vast that its walls could not be seen at all. No matter how far one looked, there was nothing but a boundless expanse of glowing white. Above them stretched only a ceiling made of gently drifting fabric, swaying lightly as though it would never fall. The brightness was overwhelming, as if they were seated upon the surface of a cold, silent sun.

In that immense, boundless place, there was no one present except Orion and one other woman, seated high upon a throne crafted from radiant, gleaming feathers.

The light pouring out from those feathers, along with the beads drifting slowly around them, made it difficult to discern her features with any real precision. Even so, her expression was unmistakably calm and composed. Her posture was upright and dignified-neither arrogant nor submissive-and in stark contrast to Orion's obvious tension, a gentle, reassuring smile never left her

face.

Only after Orion had completely finished speaking did she finally open her mouth, revealing a row of teeth purer than pearls. "The Supreme Sword of the Shadow Swords, Theo… learned all of this simply by reading books, hmm?"

"It's obvious that he's lying, Mother!" Orion raised his head and shouted. "The Shadow Swords infiltrated the Bright Galaxy-that's the only explanation for how he knows all of this. But how?!"

He then shook his head violently, his thoughts racing. "No, no-we can set the matter of infiltration aside for now. It's not that difficult, considering those damned mercenaries. I can't even use this as a true measure of the overall capabilities of the shadow swords. I can't claim that just because they infiltrated us, they can infiltrate other galaxies as well."

He waved his hand forcefully as his voice grew sharper. "Especially not the galaxy of the cursed Behemoth, which rigs every single inch of its territory with arrays and curses derived from limitless amounts of negative karma and endless crimes. And certainly not the galaxy of the Savage Behemoth-the only Behemoth to have ever breached a World Cataclysm using the crystal of a Young Space Beast, and one who wields enormous influence throughout the universe by spreading and supporting all users of the second cultivation path!" "…A thousand years ago, the Shadow Swords were nothing at all, and today they managed to infiltrate the Bright Galaxy and extract all of that information," the woman scated on the throne-the Saint Kaylis-replied calmly. "They are competent, without question. But you are focusing on them far too much." "What do you mean?" Orion frowned slightly, confusion mixed with frustration.

"Take a step back and look at the bigger picture," Saint Kaylis replied evenly. "Perhaps the Shadow Swords, who were founded only decades ago, truly lack the ability to create such a miracle on their own. But the real question is-who created the Shadow Swords?" She paused for a moment. "The one who created them may have also created something hidden, something unseen, to asist

them."

"You're saying…?" Orion hesitated.

"Hedrick's ally," Saint Kaylis answered. "He is no ordinary individual, and the

Shadow Swords are the greatest proof of that." Her gaze drifted toward the distant, stretching horizon. "This does not resemble the methods of the Sorcerer Behemoth Zarghul."

"Then who could it be? Perhaps-" Orion was about to continue, but suddenly began waving his hands. "Wait, wait-why are we even discussing hypotheses? Do you believe him? Do you truly think that the cursed Darvion and the Savage Zavaros agreed to force you to sever yourself from the Galaxy and exile us to Sector 102?!"

"……" Kaylis The Pure remained silent for several long moments. "I do not rule anything out when it comes to that man. I have been expecting him to make a move for quite some time. I simply did not anticipate that it would be this decisive…" Her eyes narrowed slightly. "Why would he discard me just to hand the Seed to his son? What did I do to anger him-or is he preparing something

far larger?"

She then turned her gaze back to Orion and looked directly into his eyes. "The reason does not matter. The execution has already begun. Based on the sequence of events, everything the Shadow Sword said is logical. Charmir, the Marshal of the Armies of the Curse Galaxy, has been openly speaking for months now about the Bright Galaxy's public support of criminals."

"…" Orion's pupils constricted until they nearly vanished. "That… that can't be."

No matter how intelligent his mother was, no matter how skilled she might be at manipulation and maneuvering, all she could truly do was buy time and avoid complete submission. Without genuine power supporting her, there was no path to resistance, no matter how hard she struggled-certainly not against someone like Darvion.

And where would such power even come from?

Anyone she asked for help would simply become the next puppet master

pulling the strings.

He knew it. He understood that painfully well… but why couldn't they just

remain as they were forever? Why did this change have to happen at all?! "… You said that the Supreme Sword, Theo, gave you a way to contact him?" Saint Kaylis lifted her head slightly, her tone steady. "…Alright, contact him

then."