"This..." Robin’s gaze locked onto the list of ining friend requests glowing before his eyes. And to his great surprise, sitting boldly at the very top of that list was none other than Lord Zarion himself!
Robin instinctively turned his head toward the man, only to find Lord Zarion already looking in his direction, wearing a posed yet genuine smile. The noble lord even nodded slightly, a courteous gesture filled with goodwill. Clearly, the confrontation that had occurred earlier between Robin and Lord Hedrick had, in some way, earned Lord Zarion’s respect—or perhaps it had simply shifted Robin in his eyes from being a nobody to someone worthy of notice. Or maybe it was the old adage playing out again: "The enemy of my enemy is my friend."
Whatever the motivation behind it, Robin saw no reason to reject the request. He offered a respectful nod in return, pressing a hand to his chest in a traditional gesture of acceptance, then went ahead and tapped the button to confirm the connection. With that settled, he began to scroll down the ever-growing list...
Lord Monran, hailing from the illustrious Starlight Dusk Academy... Lord Morval, the enigmatic overseer of the Soul Society... Robin’s eyes scanned the names, lifting the list higher with a flick of his fingers. Among the thirty or so individuals around him, he noticed that four or five carried the title of "Lord"—a clear indication of their status and influence—and all of them had extended him friend requests.
One particularly notable name stood out: Lord Amaleek, Royal Soul Master. He had attached a short message alongside his request:
"I would truly enjoy the chance to meet and discuss our intersecting interests. Perhaps one day, we might aid one another."
Robin couldn’t help but smile. Without hesitation, he accepted all the requests from those who bore the title "Lord." He figured that if things didn’t go well with Lord Morval later on, Lord Amaleek would certainly be worth reaching out to as a backup.
As for the rest of the requests—they came from individuals who lacked any formal noble title. The fairy hadn’t provided additional context about their status, and their labels were simply aliases followed by their names. For instance: Planetary Empress Rinara.
"Hehe..." Robin chuckled lightly when he saw that name among the tens of thousands, a rare note of amusement breaking through his otherwise posed demeanor. He tapped Accept on her request, then muttered,
"Keep the rest of the requests pending for now. I’m not in the mood to dive into random conversations with strangers. But I’ve got a hunch... they’ll prove useful someday."
Suddenly, Robin’s expression shifted. He cast a discreet glance to the right, eyes narrowing slightly.
"...That one person didn’t send a request. Didn’t he care for what I offered? Strange fellow."
The fairy replied almost instantly, her voice like a whisper within his mind:
"...So what you’re saying is... he’s now cooking up some practical way to return the insult? Wait, I thought it was over when he stopped bidding!" Robin chuckled under his breath, shaking his head in disbelief.
"Am I truly cursed to attract enemies from House Destra at every step I take? What kind of miserable luck is this..."
After a few seconds of quiet contemplation, Robin spoke again:
"...Hey, fairy. How do I send a friend request to someone?"
With that instruction in mind, Robin zeroed in on
Lord Hedrick, who was standing not too far off. He tapped the icon and murmured to himself:
"...Like this?"
The fairy responded with her brows slightly furrowed, clearly puzzled by Robin’s choice.
"No need for confusion," Robin said, noticing her reaction. "I’m doing everything I can to build peaceful bridges. The last thing I need right now is more conflict—I’ve got enough on my plate as it is."
Though his face remained turned toward the central platform, Robin’s sharp eyes remained fixed to the right, subtly watching Lord Hedrick’s every move, searching for any sign of a reaction.
At that precise moment, there was movement—subtle, calculated. Lord Hedrick, ever the embodiment of restraint, raised a single finger, directing it toward a translucent interface only he could see. His eyes lingered on it for a heartbeat, as if considering something... then, without so much as a twitch of emotion, he returned his attention to the central platform, his posture calm and undisturbed. It was as though nothing had happened at all.
Robin’s eye twitched. A flicker of disbelief crossed his face before it turned into frustration.
"That son of a bitch didn’t accept the request! He just looked at it... and ignored it!"
His hand shot to his thigh, fingers digging into the fabric as he clenched hard, his jaw tightening. Then, shaking his head violently, he muttered through gritted teeth:
"Whatever. Whatever! Just another fresh headache tossed onto the mountain I already have to climb. I will see the end of that cursed family. One way or another."
The fairy’s voice whispered again into his ear, soft and steady amidst the storm building in Robin’s chest:
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