"And this Royal Soul Master you need, must be one of my followers?" Robin asked, a faint, mocking smile curling across his lips. "Don't you think you're putting me in a rather difficult position, Your Majesty?"

"On the contrary," Althera replied, leaning forward slightly, her golden eyes narrowing with calm confidence, "I'm getting you out of one." Her voice softened, but her words carried the weight of truth. "You promised to make me stronger, and I know that's… impossible. I simply found it amusing that you'd owe me a favor, so I allowed you to take the first two volumes of the Atlas." She sighed faintly, her expression turning sincere. "I regret having to call in that favor now, but I truly need Morgana—now more than ever. I'm sure you've heard… as an instructor, and more importantly, as a Royal Soul Master."

"Oh?" Robin raised an eyebrow, interest flickering across his face. "Why now more than ever? That doesn't make sense. The academies haven't faced war or turmoil for ages. You live in peace—and in truth, you are the source of peace itself."

"Hmm?" Althera frowned, clearly puzzled. "You mean you haven't heard what's happening? I thought you returned for Morgana because of it. Why come back now, after a hundred and forty years?"

"I never said I was taking Morgana," Robin retorted, waving a hand dismissively. "Where did you even get that idea?"

"Then what's happening outside, then?" Althera's eyes widened as she gestured toward one of the walls, beyond which faint sounds of unrest still echoed.

"Probably just people upset that I hit them," Robin said with a careless shrug. "Who cares? I never said a word about Morgana."

"Does that mean… you're leaving her here?" Althera nearly rose from her seat, her voice rising in alarm.

"Of course not," Robin replied sharply. "I'll take her with me when I leave—but I was planning to stay in the academy for a while." He waved again, then locked eyes with her. His tone turned colder, edged with curiosity. "...But honestly, now you're making me reconsider. I might just leave immediately. What exactly is going on?"

"…It's the rumors of the Cosmic Elder's death." Althera leaned back against her chair, the confident air around her dimming. "They've turned everything upside down."

"What?!" Robin shot to his feet, disbelief flashing across his face. "The Cosmic Elder—dead?! That's impossible! After everything that happened back then, he was still the Cosmic Elder! He should have had at least another thousand years of life!"

"It's an unconfirmed rumor," Althera admitted, her gaze drifting away, "but one that makes far too much sense to ignore. And it all began… because of a mature space beast."

"...?" Robin furrowed his brows deeply. He'd heard the term before—but nothing beyond that.

"Mature space beasts," Althera explained, her tone steady but grim, "are creatures with power equal to that of a Monarch—at least in theory. But when a Monarch stands before one, they're usually the ones who fall. Their size alone defies comprehension; their presence can swallow entire worlds."

She shook her head slowly, the faint glimmer of reverence in her eyes betraying both fear and awe. "Those things once roamed freely through the universe, devouring planets, shattering galaxies, entering and leaving any domain they pleased—until the Cosmic Elder ended it."

"When he was at his peak, the Cosmic Elder turned his attention to them after eradicating the Plague that almost consumed creation itself. He slew more than twenty mature space beasts and then banished the entire race beyond the known realms. Some say he cast them into the borders between sectors… but no one has ever seen them there. They simply… vanished."

She paused briefly, her voice dropping to a somber whisper. "Tens of millions of years have passed since that day. Every time a newborn space beast appears—its power at the very peak of a World Cataclysm—the local forces unite to destroy it. When a young one appears, the academies are alerted, and the nearest Guardians and Monarchs move to eliminate it. But when a mature space beast emerges… that responsibility lies with the Cosmic Elder alone."

Her gaze darkened as she went on, "It's only happened twice since their exile. Two mature space beasts dared to break the ban and enter inhabited sectors—decades apart—and each time, the Cosmic Elder appeared and annihilated them completely."

Then she looked back into Robin's eyes, her voice lowering to a near whisper. "But that didn't happen this time. A few decades ago, a mature space beast appeared in the 911th Middle Sector. It began devouring planets and dwarf stars… and it's still there, even now. The latest reports say it's already destroyed a quarter of an entire starfield."

"This…?" Robin's voice faltered slightly, his expression tightening as unease crept into his features. A faint pressure filled the air—something in Althera's tone made even his instincts whisper of danger. "Are you saying there's nothing—absolutely nothing—you can do about it?" he asked, his words half disbelief, half frustration.

"Nothing at all." Althera shook her head slowly, strands of her silver hair sliding over her shoulders as her gaze dimmed. Her tone was heavy, carrying the quiet weight of inevitability. "We can slay a young space beast if we prepare adequately, yes—but anything beyond that… it's suicide. To face a mature one without the Cosmic Elder's aid would demand the cooperation of at least twenty Monarchs and Guardians—and perhaps even a Behemoth or two among them to stand a chance." Her lips curved in a bitter, humorless smile. "And do you know the irony? Only the Cosmic Elder ever had the power to bring that kind of force together. Without him, such unity is impossible. It's a closed circle."

Robin's eyes darkened. The way she said it—the calm acceptance of a hopeless truth—made his chest feel heavy. "So that's how fragile the system really is," he murmured.

"At first," Althera went on, "only the Millennial Empires and those of higher standing were aware of the truth. It was a secret buried under layers of authority and silence. But now—after what's happening in the 911th Middle Sector—rumors are spreading like wildfire. People are asking questions they shouldn't. They're wondering why such things never happened before, why no beasts dared to enter civilized space. And as the stories circulate, someone always mentions the same ancient name—a being so powerful that even the stars seemed to tremble at his will. And when they ask why he hasn't appeared for so long, why decades have passed without his shadow crossing the cosmos…" she paused, locking eyes with him, "what conclusion do you think they reach?"

Robin's throat felt dry. The answer was obvious, but saying it aloud gave it a terrifying weight.

"...That he's dead."

He slumped back in his chair as if the word itself had struck him, one hand rubbing his chin while his brows furrowed in deep thought. "No wonder," he muttered, "no wonder you said you're facing a difficult era. Without the Cosmic Elder to hold everything together, the entire foundation of the Star Academies is shaking. The Behemoths will start tightening their grip… and the moment that happens, the balance collapses. Some academies will abandon the system altogether, turning to their own interests—forming alliances, hoarding power, maybe even declaring independence."

"…?!" Althera's gaze sharpened instantly, pupils contracting.

She hadn't revealed any of that. Every word he'd just spoken was pure deduction—and yet it struck frighteningly close to the truth. Her silence stretched for several seconds before she finally exhaled, eyes narrowing with a mix of admiration and unease.

"Your words are frighteningly accurate, Lord Robin," she admitted. "Indeed, some academies have already begun disregarding their responsibilities, acting as if the system no longer binds them. But…" her tone darkened, "...that isn't even the real danger."

"Hmm?" Robin leaned forward slightly, his expression alert once more. "What could possibly be worse than a crumbling order?"

Althera's fingers tightened around the armrest of her chair. "The space beasts," she said at last, voice low and edged with restrained fury. "They might appear as mindless destroyers, but they are aware. They think. They remember. Since their exile, they've tested our strength time and again—and this time… is no exception."

Her brows furrowed, a faint tremor running through her voice. "That mature space beast entered our borders deliberately, almost suicidally, just to measure our response. To see whether the cosmos would strike it down… or let it roam free. And if nothing happens—if no divine power intervenes—then more of them will follow. The beasts will draw nearer, crossing from the outer void toward the Thousand Young Sectors and the Thousand Middle Sectors. They're probing our defenses, Lord Robin. Waiting for a chance to reclaim the territories their ancestors once devoured."

Robin forced a weak smile, though it quickly faltered. "That sounds far-fetched," he said, trying to sound casual. "Surely they wouldn't dare invade the inner sectors so recklessly… would they?"

"We've already started to see the signs," Althera replied grimly, her tone leaving no room for doubt. "Incidents are surfacing one after another. Just a few days ago, a planet in the 101st Sector—Verillion—was attacked by a young space beast."

"...Hah?"

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