2331 - Poisoning
"...?" Kiryān was puzzled by Robin's words.
Zavarus was talking about a way to become stronger, but Robin, on the other hand, was speaking about healing and being a bad father?
Lord Robin was a master at changing the subject!
Then he calmly turned toward Zavarus, waiting to see his usual angry outburst…
Anyone who saw Zavarus during his session with the Butcher, and then with Lord Robin, might think he was a gentle and reasonable person, but he had only reached this calm after millions of years of self-restraint and political exploration. Zavarus had been completely rigid in mind, a true beast in his time, even though he didn't yet have those horns.
It could be said that, over time, he became more monstrous in appearance, but more civilized in manner!
"Hmm?" But Kiryān furrowed his brows intensely when he finally noticed Zavarus's reaction. "Brother Zavarus?"
His mouth was open as he stared at Robin with eyes wide, as if his eyelids had vanished, while his body trembled slightly!
"...?" Glacion was also surprised; Zavarus's reaction was far too exaggerated.
"You…" Zavarus muttered, then seemed to start regaining his composure. "I mean, Your Grace…" His way of speaking began to take on a more respectful tone. "How… did you know?"
"With a glance, and the moment I arrived here, that's why I restored those corpses," Robin replied casually. "These Golden Eyes aren't just for giving me a striking appearance."
After saying this, Robin stared at the sword for a moment. "Hmm, that stubborn thing deserves a closer inspection." Then he raised his hand and slowly pushed the sword into the space before him until it vanished completely.
Afterward, he dusted off his hand and turned to Zavarus with a smile. "The beasts in the Garden are all your children by blood, aren't they?"
"What?!" exclaimed Kiryān and Glacion.
"Huh?!" From a distance, Zavarus's present children jolted in confusion, except for Zina, who stood quietly, looking at her father with sorrow.
"Is that true?" Kiryān took two steps forward. "Those rumors that the later generations of your children show more beastly traits, and that's why you stopped trying to have more—were they real?"
"Not real!" Zavarus pushed him away slightly. "...All my children slowly lose their humanity over time, gaining random beastly traits, until I'm forced to confine them here in the end." Then he stepped back twice and sat down. "...And the same is happening to me."
"...?!" Kiryān's eyes widened to their fullest. "I thought you were deliberately showing off those scales, horns, and massive physique because you wanted to intimidate your enemies, and because you wanted to live up to the title of the Savage Behemoth!"
"..." Zavarus looked downward. "I don't want to live up to anything. My body changes just like my children's bodies. The thing is, the stronger I am, the slower the change occurs. That's why I'm trying to push as many of my children as possible to a breakthrough quickly using the Crystal of a Young Space Beast, and I help them obtain a Minor Law that delays the Inevitable."
Then he looked far away toward the nearest beast—the one staring at them with predatory expressions. "...But even this method only delays the Inevitable; it doesn't prevent it."
"....!!" Zavarus's Children felt their hearts pounding violently, and their eyes began to twitch as fear crept into their beings.
They had noticed those changes too, but they never knew there was such a deep secret behind them!
Is this why the father spends most of his time here?!
"Damn it, Zavarus!!" Kiryān shouted. "Is this why your garden contains all those dozens of Beast Emperors? And is this why it's said that your garden is the only one in the universe that contains beasts with Law Dominator power? Because they were originally Law Dominators, and they were your Children?!"
Zavarus completely ignored Kiryān's words and looked at Robin. "Your words earlier... are you saying you can cure us?"
"...." Robin tapped gently on his armrest, each tap landing on Zavarus's heart like a thunderbolt. "First of all, I want to say that I had my doubts about what was happening here before I came, so it wasn't much of a shock."
"...?" Zavarus was greatly puzzled.
No one knew better than him how secret this information was—only he and Zina knew of it.
When the moment came that he lost hope in one of his children, Zina would pull him toward a planet not affiliated with any power. Then the father would come, subdue him, and imprison him there inside an array for thousands of years, until he was completely transformed.
His other children, during that time, would have forgotten him, and it would be rumored that he died on an adventure—especially since the Silent Farewell would occur at the moment of transformation's completion... Middle Sector 105 had witnessed more Silent Farewells than all other sectors combined, and this was one of the reasons behind Zavarus's terrifying reputation, and behind the dangerous missions he sent his children on to die.
After everything calmed down, he would be brought to the Garden to spend the rest of his life with his brothers under their father's watch.
So, for Robin to say he knew anything about the matter... that was astonishing!
"Regarding this... there was a strange sentence I heard in the conversation between the All-seeing God and the Executioner." Robin continued tapping the sofa. "He said that our development has stagnated to the point where we still rely on the Blood of the Reapers as a training path." Then he waved his hand. "The Reapers are space beasts, by the way."
"..." Glacion raised his hand fearfully. "Is it normal to talk about Lord Andrew so casually? Will... there be any consequences?"
"Hehe, I'm a person with two candidates now, and I've also broken free from my restraints. If I still feared quoting two words or talking about an old mission, how would I look to myself?" Robin waved dismissively. "Don't worry about it."
"The All-seeing God says we rely on the blood of space beasts as a training path?" Kiryān wondered. "But we..."
"Among the Four Paths, there is no Blood of Space Beasts path, right?" Robin pointed at him. "But the path closest to that sentence is...?"
"..." Kiryān turned to Zavarus. "The Second Path, Blood of Beasts?"
"Haha, exactly." Robin pointed toward Zavarus. "And who sells the finest quality blood to the universe? Who is the person upon whom the second Path is entirely built? The one who takes that blood from his children in the Beast Garden?!" Then he placed his hands on his sides and shook his head. "Zavarus, oh Zavarus, I think the All-seeing God chose you to fight Helmor because He wanted to get rid of the scoundrel who poisons the entire universe with the foul blood of space beasts."