Lord of the Truth

Chapter 1838 The word of the strong

Middle Sector 100 Planet Pit of Distruction

Today -just like every day in recent years- the inhabitants of the planet woke to the soft chirping of the small birds that had spread across the once-desolate world ever since the roads were replanted with trees and the reckless drilling and excavation finally came to a halt.

The citizens awoke to the steady hum of commercial ships docking at the newly built port, bringing goods many of them had never seen before-while buying the residentsʼ products to sell across distant planets.

Children woke to a nourishing, healthy breakfast, something unimaginable in the past when this world was nothing but barren soil filled with weapons, ash, and the stench of smoke.

The soldiers woke on soft mattresses inside proper military barracks, smiles resting on their faces-because they now knew their families were safe, cared for, and that they themselves would have three full meals today. Once, they used to sleep on bare ground, clutching their rifles only to steal a little warmth from them.

And today, Serafina awakened with a bright, hopeful smile, then headed -as she did every morning- toward her ladyʼs room.

Knock Knock

”My lady, you didnʼt leave your room at all yesterday. Is everything alright?” Serafina placed her lips near the keyhole and spoke in a soft, considerate tone.

”Iʼll enter then- please forgive the intrusion!”

Serafina gripped the handle, pushed gently, and slipped her head inside, letting her eyes sweep across the entire room.

The dark chamber-once nothing more than cracked black-brick walls, containing nothing but a hard bed and a lonely table-had changed drastically over the years. It now held more furniture, brighter light sources, warmer colors, and coats of fresh paint that erased years of gloom.

And there she was-her lady-sitting in her dedicated meditation corner, legs crossed, eyes closed, breathing so softly it was almost imperceptible, her breathtaking face redefining the very meaning of beauty.

”...” When Serafina saw this, she hesitated for a brief moment, then quietly stepped inside and sat beside her mistress without making a sound.

Three hours later-

”Hoo~” Helen finally moved, releasing a long, steady exhale before opening her eyes-only to be immediately startled. ”Ah!”

”Welcome back, Lady Helen!” Serafina beamed with a bright smile.

”Since you didnʼt sense my presence at all... were you in the Soul Society?”

”...” Helen stared at Serafinaʼs face for a few moments, as if weighing her words.

”...Yes.”

”Were you searching for news regarding the Lord- your elder brother? How are things there now?” Serafina asked quickly, unable to hide her concern.

”I... donʼt know how to answer that.” Helen stood slowly, then walked to open her balcony, letting the morning light pour in.

”He has lost his entire Empire... and yet heʼs still fighting-and his condition is better now than at any point before.”

”Thatʼs incredible!” Serafinaʼs eyes widened to their fullest.

”It must be the Shadow Swords, without a doubt!!”

”...I hate admitting it, but yes.” Helen nodded slowly, her expression carrying both reluctance and honesty.

”Alongside the massive supplies coming from the Centennial Cradle Empire, there were two major factors that helped Elder Brother endure this long.

The first was the wide-scale dissemination of information about his enemies, and the second was the sudden appearance of seven billion pearls as support for establishing his second armada.”

”...I have no idea where he obtained seven billion Pearls out of nowhere, but the matter of leaked information is definitely connected to the Shadow Swords.” Helen looked toward the distant horizon, her tone growing quieter.

”In fact, everyone knows this now. All those forces that were exposed publicly sent hunting teams to attack Shadow Sword branches in their own sectors, and they issued capture requests and bounty orders worth millions of Pearls. The situation for the Shadow Swords is incredibly dire right now-worse than it has ever been.”

”Lord Hedrick chose his allies wisely,” Serafina said as she lifted her gaze toward the ceiling, her voice filled with admiration.

”In the worst crisis he has ever experienced, neither the Shadow Swords abandoned him, nor did the Centennial Cradle Empire forsake him.

On the contrary, the empire put itself into a terrible position because of their support-they are losing planets year after year, all because they insisted on standing by him.”

”... Whatʼs even worse,” Helen added, her voice lowering further,

”is that the strange relationship between the Shadow Swords and the Centennial Cradle Empire has finally been exposed.

The Empire received that sensitive information first, and now it has become obvious to everyone that they are allied with Lord Hedrick and the Shadow

Swords.

This revelation made the Centennial Cradle Empire even more suffocated- more surrounded and hated by all the enemies of the Shadow Swords.”

Then Serafina turned toward Helen, hesitating before speaking.

”...All of this is happening because they insist on supporting Lord Hedrick for

some unknown reason.”

”You keep repeating it, are you trying to imply something; Serafina? Say it directly.” Helen turned back with a sharp, piercing look.

”I am only saying that they are paying the price for helping Lord Hedrick, and that they desperately need assistance.”

Her maid looked away, voice softening.

”I believe they need every grain of help they can possibly get right now.”

”Hmph.” Helen returned her gaze to the balcony view.

”I donʼt know what exactly the Cradle Empire is trying to accomplish, but their methods donʼt feel like those of people who truly intend to help Elder Brother.

Iʼve been trying to head to Middle Sector 101 for decades, yet they reject the request every single time.”

”But they donʼt get to decide that, my Lady. You can go whenever you want.” Serafina responded with confusion.

”....” Helen fell silent, rearranging her thoughts carefully.

In truth, over the past years, Helen had begun managing her resources far

more efficiently.

She succeeded in annexing several unclaimed planets, gathering them under

her rule.

She now owned twenty-five planets and commanded five fully-formed fleets.

Her empire had never experienced such prosperity before-its stability, wealth, and influence had all reached unprecedented levels.

But she was still locked in a personal war against the Ghassan Empire, and

Serafina could not possibly manage the entire empire alone in her absence. If Helen dared leave Middle Sector 100 for even a few days and the Ghassan Empire discovered her absence, everything she built would be stolen from her

instantly.

This was why she tried to use the direct intervention of the Cradle Empire in her brotherʼs war as an opening.

She sent Serafina several times to request Cradle Empire protection for her territories while she was gone.

She was even prepared to reveal her true identity to them-prepared to place her planets under their temporary authority as a gesture of full trust.

But every single time, they refused.

They said protection was for Wings only.

That if she wanted to be protected, she had to officially join as a Wing, and only

then would they allow her to travel freely to Middle Sector 101.

Of course, that was something completely unacceptable to her. To this day, the Cradle Empire has no idea that she is the ruler of Destruction

Pit Empire- no idea how powerful she is, nor anything about her identity. They never asked, and rejected her requests outright every time with a level of coldness, stubbornness, and lack of appreciation that bordered on insult.