Inside the Soul Society-
"
The smiling fairy's greeting was abruptly severed by a sharp swoosh.
Morgana's soul manifestation strode straight past her, as though the fairy did not exist at all. Without slowing, she raised her hand and made a precise gesture, instantly calling up the message interface. Lines of light unfolded before her eyes as she scrolled downward at high speed, skimming past dozens of familiar names-commanders, academicians, nobles-until a single name made her stop.
Human.
Her finger paused for the briefest moment before pressing the message.
"Hello, Morgana. How are you?>"
"...Your Majesty?"
The moment Robin's smiling face appeared, Morgana felt her chest tighten, as if invisible fingers had closed around her heart.
She had contacted him in the midst of a looming disaster, fully expecting anger -shouting, harsh words, perhaps even a cold rebuke. Yet instead of fury, what greeted her was calm. Too much calm.
Why did he look so completely at ease?
Did he truly see the situation as something trivial, something not worth concern?
Or was it worse-was he so deeply disappointed, so thoroughly resigned, that he no longer even felt the need to scold her?
"
"Don't say that..." Morgana whispered under her breath, her fingers curling slightly as she listened to him shoulder the blame so casually.
Hearing Robin speak of himself in such a way unsettled her far more than anger ever could have.
"
"..?!"
Morgana's eyes widened in disbelief.
The peacekeeping forces... were less important than the children currently causing chaos outside?
" saturated with Anti-Life. So let us be honest with ourselves-we are serving our own future, not acting out of charity.>" Robin paused, allowing the words to settle, before continuing in the same measured tone. " "This..." Morgana murmured, uncertainty creeping into her expression. In truth, mass recruitment followed by mass sacrifice was the cheapest and most sustainable strategy. It was precisely why the academies had survived for so long. War against Anti-Life was brutal beyond measure; heavy losses were not just expected, they were inevitable. Was Robin truly intending to build a real, standing army to confront them directly? Or was he planning to dispatch Martial Aro army to do so? Either option bordered on madness. The cost of such a war would not merely increase-it would explode severalfold. " As he spoke, Robin raised three fingers one by one. " "Me?!" Morgana pointed at herself in disbelief, her voice rising slightly despite her attempt to remain composed. " "
battle.>" "Anything for you..." A strange, unreadable smile slowly appeared on Morgana's face, carrying emotions she herself could not fully explain. " " " confidence later.>" "Ugh..." The irritating and all-too-familiar image of Lord Shadoy suddenly surfaced in her mind, making her expression stiffen for a brief moment. " " Then he smiled again, this time more openly. " exploiting this point to firmly bind all the sector's powers to yourself-holding them by the throat, whether through economic pressure or security dependence. Those who refuse to pay should simply lose the protection of the region surrounding them. We are not running a charity...>" ""
