When a month had passed following the arrival of the Roman envoys, King Khosrow Parviz crafted a reply of immense majesty and philosophical depth. He began the epistle with magnificent praises to Holy Yazdan, the Sovereign Lord of the cosmos who sustains the turning spheres and from whom all good and ill derive. Khosrow warmly acknowledged Caesar's past shelter during his days of exile, honoring the Emperor as a father whose wisdom and generosity had rescued him when Iranian nobles had turned away. He celebrated their familial union and the birth of Prince Shiruy, graciously accepting the treasures Caesar had sent.
However, when addressing matters of faith and the Emperor's religious entreaties, Khosrow spoke with unyielding regal pride. He declared that Iran bore no shame in its ancient heritage, proclaiming that no creed on earth excelled the monotheistic Faith of King Hushang—a doctrine rooted in absolute justice, modesty, righteousness, and cosmic contemplation. Khosrow affirmed his devotion to the one God, who possesses neither partner, peer, nor offspring, and whose transcendent realm cannot be encompassed by mortal thought.
Addressing Caesar's request for the return of the True Cross (Dar-e Masiha), Khosrow offered a profound philosophical refusal. He argued that true faith cannot be founded upon a piece of wood, nor does wisdom dictate mourning over the decayed timber upon which a prophet was crucified. To send a wooden relic from Iran to Rome would invite the laughter of surrounding nations; a High Mobad of Iran could never abandon the divine path of light for material symbolism.
Yet behind his grand stance lay a subtle foreboding: Khosrow confessed his nighttime anxieties over young Prince Shiruy, fearing that when the youth came of age, he might reignite the ancient animosities of Salm and Alexander, bringing ruin upon both empires. Closing the letter with prayers for Caesar's well-being, Khosrow ordered his treasuries unsealed. Under the watchful eye of Khammad Barzin, an astonishing caravan was assembled: one hundred and sixty jewel-encrusted chests, three hundred prime red camels, priceless Chinese silks, rare pomegranates of rubies, fine pearls, and vast quantities of gold dinars bestowed upon the philosophers of Rome. The Roman emissaries departed in awe, praising the incomparable grandeur of the Iranian King.