2286 - Family Visit
Planet Donara—
*Whoosh*
An Instant Space Gate opened beside a specific building. Robin stepped out, followed by Glacion, before the gate closed.
*Whistle*
Robin let out a soft whistle and began looking around. "Is a Shadow Sword here?"
*Swoosh*
Someone emerged from behind a pillar and knelt before Robin. "At your command."
"Wait a moment." Robin took a small piece of paper from his ring and began filling it with Energy Letters. Every time he paused, he remembered something and added it.
Glacion looked around from behind Robin and found himself standing on the side of a semi-busy road. There were people driving carts loaded with ores, people standing in shops selling daily necessities—just like any street in any human city. He also saw people lying unconscious by the roadside, with others trying to help them.
Nearly an hour had passed since the Master Symbols phenomenon ended, but its echoes were still ongoing.
Some mortals were affected, while others hadn't noticed anything at all. Some got up immediately, while others were still in a state of shock.
This depended on each person's familiarity with the Heavenly Laws… The higher the familiarity, the greater the awe they felt.
“…Well, that should be enough.” Robin finished, then passed the paper to Shadow Sword. “Go to the Treasury and bring these items, then head to the nearest Shadow Swords Headquarters and gather the required information for me. I want it as quickly as possible.”
“Understood.” Shadow Sword received the paper with both hands and vanished.
“Where are we, my lord?” Glacion asked, looking around.
“We came to visit my son as the first stop of the journey. He’s in the midst of a very delicate operation—I don’t know how far he’s gotten with it. I’ll check on him, see if I can help, and then we’ll leave quickly.” Robin set his sights on the nearest building and began walking toward it. “Come.”
“This seems like a personal matter. I can leave if Your Majesty wishes,” Glacion said, though he was already walking behind Robin.
“You will leave, don’t worry. I just want to think of a reward for you first.” Robin waved his hand in front of the building, and a small crack opened in the Arrays surrounding it, through which he entered quietly.
“A reward?” Glacion took an extra step, his grin stretching from ear to ear. “That’s absolutely unnecessary, Your Majesty, but just to satisfy my curiosity, why do you think I deserve a reward?”
"Hmm? You want me to praise you a little? Fine." Robin chuckled as he ascended the stairs. "In one day, you helped subdue the Millennium Empire and secured a good personal guard for me. Of course, you deserve a reward; otherwise, I'd be unfair."
"Haha, it's nothing too difficult." Glacion waved his hand twice but continued climbing behind Robin joyfully. "I don't mean anything by it, my lord, but you know? If I had Spacetime with me, I could take you wherever you want without your precious feet moving an inch."
"Heh~" Robin let out a laugh. "Giving a Master Law to someone who hates fighting seems like a waste, don't you think?"
"..." Glacion fell silent for a moment. "Think about the tea set matter."
"I'll see what I can do." Robin reached out and opened the apartment door with a smile. "Richard, Dad's here to visit."
Richard was sitting there; he opened his eyes and turned toward the door, forcing a smile as well. "..F-Father... Welcome..."
But Robin's smile vanished instantly.
As for Glacion, he showed expressions of shock and fear... This is Lord Robin's son?!
Richard was in a terrible state, with almost no clothes on him, and what remained showed severe signs of corrosion. His body was covered in patches missing skin, others missing flesh, and even bones were exposed in some places. He was so thin that for a moment he reminded him of the Cosmic Elder when they first met.
Perhaps the only thing indicating that this was Richard was his white hair cascading over his face.
Robin quickly put the smile back on his face and entered. "I see you've completed the reconstruction of Level 11 through the Sixth Training Path, and your body has already begun the Automatic Rearrangement for the solid Level 12. Well done."
".....?" Glacion frowned heavily upon hearing the term "Sixth Path."
Was there a Fifth?!
"Hmm... it was hard..." Richard looked ahead with difficulty. "Extremely hard..."
"I can imagine." Robin walked toward his son with his hands behind his back. "You're putting the puzzle pieces back together, and this isn't done by one Law, but four integrated Laws. Among everyone, your situation is undoubtedly the most difficult." Then he reached his son's side and patted his shoulder as gently as possible. "But I knew you were up to the task."
"...Yes." Richard replied with just that one word, and the shoulder his father had patted slumped slightly downward.
"…………?!" Glacion halted again, having just been about to step inside.
Had he just heard: four integrated Laws?!
"..." Robin examined his son's physical condition with pity, then spoke with the same smile. "...Come on, get up, you're coming with me."
"Hmm?" Richard lifted his head slightly. "Where to?"
"A short trip—I need to sort out my affairs a bit before entering another seclusion," Robin replied calmly. "It seems to me you need some fresh air, so come along."
"...." Richard shook his head. "Those affairs of yours... aren't something I understand. You probably mean going to the Millennium Empires to declare wars and such grand things... You never do anything but that when you're not in seclusion or research... What would I do there?"
"Sit in their place if you want." Robin patted his son's head. "Give yourself your due—you're my son, and the only one in the entire universe with four integrated Laws... Come on, get up, you're coming. I've decided; I won't leave you in this gloomy environment any longer."
"...." Richard looked down with difficulty, gazing at his frail, naked body, and his sense of weakness instantly intensified. He fell silent... There was no need for him to say anything.
This was not the condition of someone who could even make it to the bathroom.
"Shall I carry the young master?" Glacion finally stepped forward.
"His feet will carry him." Robin waved his hand, then placed it on his son's head once more.
Huumm
A golden light emerged from his palm and began to seep into Richard's body.
The gaps in his body started to fill, and the flesh and skin that had vanished under the Law of Antimatter began to regrow. Even his torn clothes were restored, gaining a luster that made them better than new.
Then he withdrew his hand, and Robin's smile widened. "Come on, show me your graceful step."
"Amazing." Glacion's eyes sparkled.