Lord of the Truth

Behind Aro stood several individuals. The two closest to him were both of the Dorgarian race— Demi-serpents, with scaled bodies, elongated eyes, and slitted pupils that gleamed with intelligence. Their forked tongues flickered subtly as they observed Caesar with cautious expressions.

Haros, the more imposing of the two, furrowed his leathery brows slightly upon hearing Caesar refer to him as a prisoner. His voice was steady, but there was an undeniable edge to it. "Mr. Caesar, we are generals of the same empire now. We fight under the same banner, striving to contribute just as you and your generals do. It would be wise to leave the past where it belongs."

Caesar's golden eyes gleamed sharply as he lifted his chin, his voice carrying an air of unquestionable authority. "My name is Supreme General Caesar, or Your Highness Caesar. Understood?" His words were not a mere correction but a command.

Then, with deliberate steps, he closed the distance between them, his posture exuding dominance. "I know exactly who you are, Haros—the one who attacked my army from behind on Poison Rock while I was battling the beast tide, before my father mercifully got you under his armpit. I remember you well."

His hands remained clasped behind his back as he took two more steps forward, now standing directly in front of Haros, eyes cold and unwavering. "I understand that my father was the one who freed you from captivity. Perhaps he saw some hidden potential in you… something I, frankly, do not. But let me make one thing clear—I do not care for whatever titles or lofty words you think you have. Speak to me of status and contributions only when you have proven yourself to this empire. That is when I might actually listen to you."

As Caesar halted, he was now mere inches from Haros' face, his piercing gaze drilling into the serpent-man's eyes. Then, his voice dropped into something far more chilling.

"But if I so much as catch a whiff of anything suspicious… what happened to your comrades will feel like a pleasant stroll compared to what I will do to you. I will personally ensure that you experience pain in ways you have never imagined."

His hand then rose, moving fluidly past Aro's nose as he gestured toward the second demi-serpent. "And that goes for you as well."

"….." Haros and the seventh prince stiffened, their bodies rigid with suppressed rage. Their slitted pupils contracted, their sharp teeth pressing together behind closed lips. The humiliation was evident in their faces, though neither of them dared to speak.

Before coming here, Aro had already warned them that something like this might happen. They had dismissed it with amused confidence, laughing at the idea that mere children—who had not even lived a quarter of their lifespans—could affect them in any way.

And yet…

The sheer weight of the pressure emanating from Caesar was overwhelming. His presence alone was suffocating, his words cutting sharper than any blade.

Was this child truly only a hundred years old?!

Breaking the tense silence, Aro suddenly chuckled, his voice smooth and measured. "Haha, Your Highness, I believe you're overthinking things." He slowly raised his hand, gently brushing Caesar's away from his face before smiling amicably. "However, you do make a valid point. If we are to truly earn our place, we must all begin working toward great achievements for the empire as soon as possible!"

Before Caesar could reply, Zara's soft yet firm hand landed on his shoulder. She leaned slightly closer and spoke in a playful yet knowing tone.

"Today is a day of celebration, brother. Stop harassing the guests like you always do!" She flashed a charming smile at the others before turning back to him. "I know you want to push them toward improvement, but if you keep this up, they might just think you're cruel rather than motivational."

Caesar's eyes flicked toward his sister. "…." He understood her intent. She was trying to defuse the tension, to keep the atmosphere from spiraling into hostility. He knew pressing further would be unnecessary—at least for now.

However, he still couldn't resist casting his gaze past Aro, narrowing his eyes at the towering figure looming behind him, "And what exactly are you?"

The individual standing directly behind Aro was, by far, the most visually striking of them all. Standing at nearly three meters tall—an entire meter taller than Caesar—he possessed two powerful, broad, leathery wings that rested slightly open at his sides. His thick, curved horns jutted from his head, extending backward like a crown of twisted obsidian. His beastlike maw was lined with razor-sharp fangs, and his long, reptilian tongue flicked out slightly before retreating.

His hands and feet ended in talon-like claws, each one resembling the tip of a finely crafted spear. His body was a vivid shade of blue, the same color as the deepest parts of the ocean, and his skin was covered in a clearly visible layer of scales, each one reflecting light in a way that made him seem almost armored.

Despite the fact that no overwhelming aura of energy radiated from him, there was something about his presence that made the air feel heavier.

He's dangerous.

Caesar instinctively felt that if he attacked this creature right now, it would still be able to hold its ground—at least for a while.

This was the first time he had ever seen such a being.

"….."

Nearby, Theo cast a brief glance toward the creature. His expression remained unreadable, but for the sharp-eyed, there was something there—a brief flicker of amusement, a ghost of a smirk—before he turned his gaze forward once again, saying nothing.

The towering being finally parted its fanged jaws, and when it spoke, its voice was deep, rumbling like a mountain shifting under its own weight.

"I am Kandal, son of Arnif. I greet Supreme General Caesar… we have worked together before."

"You worked with me?" Caesar narrowed his eyes, furrowing his brows as he tapped his chin thoughtfully. He repeated the name aloud, as if trying to recall a distant memory. Then, suddenly, his eyes widened to their fullest extent, "You're the Monarch of the Nine Suns—the founder of the Fire Salamander Organization! The Crown Prince of the Ashira Giants?!"

Before he could respond, Aro chuckled heartily and clapped Kandal forcefully on the back, his grin wide, "Haha, let me correct you, Your Highness—Brother Kandal is no longer just the Crown Prince of a giant tribe. He has ascended beyond that. He is now the Founder of the Crixian race!"

Caesar's gaze snapped back to Kandal, a flicker of realization dawning in his bright eyes, "The experiment… succeeded?!" He exclaimed in shock, immediately grabbing Aro by the arm and pulling him closer. "Tell me everything. The guards near Jura City reported that several giants died before you gave up and left."

Aro's smirk deepened, clearly pleased by Caesar's sudden interest. "Haha, I'd be delighted to explain."

He gestured for his followers to come forward before stepping up to stand beside the other princes. This alone made it clear—Caesar was recognizing his work, even if only slightly.

"The truth is, Your Highness, the rumors you heard are mostly accurate. We brought in three randomly selected giants from the imperial prisons to serve as test subjects, but…" Aro sighed dramatically, "We failed, all died."

"Oh?" Caesar raised an eyebrow. Beside him, Zara was listening intently, her arms crossed as she leaned in with curiosity.

"It's obvious that you expected failure," Caesar noted, "since you used prisoners for the experiments rather than volunteers."

Aro nodded without shame. "Of course. While we've successfully conducted racial upgrade procedures on the Dorgarians and Dovsians before, those were simpler cases. They were already of those races to begin with—we merely boosted their existing bloodlines. But attempting to create a new race? That was an entirely different challenge."

Then, he exhaled, his expression growing more serious. "Second… I studied the research papers compiled by our R&D teams regarding the origins of living beings. According to their findings, Nihari Giants are not a natural race. They are a product of natural mutation rather than direct human evolution. That alone made it difficult to predict how their bodies would react to transformation."

Zara's eyes gleamed with interest as she absorbed this new information, while Caesar simply nodded for Aro to continue.

"And thirdly… there was the biggest risk of all. Crixis possesses the ability to purify bloodlines. But what would happen if his blood were to merge with something inherently impure, like the mutated blood of the Nihari Giants? There were countless unknowns to consider."

Caesar raised both eyebrows slightly. "You gathered all that information before starting the experiments? You certainly had plenty of time playing around, huh…"

Aro smirked. "I have many competent assistants."

"Ignore him," Zara interjected with a playful wave of her hand. "He spent the first half of his life in a cave with our father and the second half waging wars. He's always like this. Now, keep going—what happened next?"

Aro chuckled, offering a slight, almost imperceptible bow of acknowledgment.

"Now I understand why everyone praises you, Your Highness Zara," he remarked smoothly. "Not once have I heard a single ill word spoken about you. Such wisdom and grace are truly befitting of the empire's sole princess."

Then, straightening his posture, he resumed, "To keep things short—all of those problems I mentioned? We had to face them all."