"…"
Robin's sarcastic, smug expression abruptly shifted into something far more serious. He stared at Hedrick for a long moment, trying to process the sheer weight of the situation he had just been thrust into.
"…No one else knows about what you've just told me?"
"No one," Hedrick replied without hesitation, his voice quiet but unwavering. He nodded once, slowly, as if sealing the truth in stone.
Robin's heartbeat thudded against his chest.
"What exactly is going on here? Why are you telling me your secrets, we don't even know each other! Am I supposed to feel… honored now? So moved that I just hand over the artifact to you out of sheer sentiment?"
"Of course not," Hedrick said, eyes fixed on the brilliant horizon. A cool breeze swept over them, stirring the strands of his long silver hair.
"Any proper partnership—any alliance worth building—is built on transparency. That's why I decided to lay all my cards on the table. From the beginning. No tricks. No manipulation."
