Lord of the Truth

Chapter 1946 The Sparkling Serene

”...The Sparkling Serene has been summoned to the Bright Galaxy, it was confirmed.”

”...?!” Richardʼs head snapped to the side, eyes wide with sudden surprise. The words echoed in his mind longer than they should have, as if they carried more weight than a simple announcement.

”What?” Victoria tilted slightly in her chair, arching an eyebrow as she sensed the tension in the room. Her posture was calm, but her intuition told her

Richardʼs reaction was deeper than mere curiosity.

”...Nothing” Richard muttered, slowly turning his gaze forward again, though his expression betrayed his inner unease. ”I have a friend -a close one-with the same name. She belongs to the Bright Galaxy. Could it... perhaps be her?”

Victoria shook her head slowly, the movement deliberate and measured. ”I have no knowledge of such personal matters, your highness. My information mostly comes strictly from the Soul Society, filtered and limited, or from the Shadow Swords who provide specific information permitted to generals and officers-often a fraction of the truth. Names like Serene are not unique. Many bear it. To assume your friend is THE Sparkling Serene is... unlikely.”

”Oh...” The faint shadow of worry on Richardʼs face did not dissipate. It lingered like smoke, a subtle tension curling around his eyes. ”Then... tell me more. Describe this Sparkling Serene. Explain why her name matters enough for you to bring her up now.”

Victoriaʼs lips curved into a soft, knowing smile, and she straightened her back, fully facing Richard. Moments like these discussions of people neither of them truly knew were strangely comforting, a way to pass endless hours without the crushing weight of reality pressing down.

”The Sparkling Serene,” Victoria began, her voice calm yet filled with reverence, ”is the daughter of the Behemoth of Purity, Kaylis. She is neither the youngest nor the eldest of her siblings, but she has risen above them all in fame and in legend.”

Richard blinked, uncertain whether to be confused or awestruck. ”......?”

Victoria continued, her words deliberate, painting the picture of a life steeped in quiet power. ”She is over a million years old, yet she has never involved herself in political intrigue or galactic governance. Her brother, Orion, ensured that she remained distant from major events, they say he hates her and afraid she will take his position. Yet, despite such isolation, fate refused to let her remain hidden. She was destined for something far greater than mere obscurity.”

”...Sereneʼs dream of becoming a doctor who would never charge a fee led to her expulsion from the Bright Galaxy hundreds of thousands of years ago,” Victoria said, her voice lowering slightly as if sharing a secret across the centuries. ”During her exile, she wandered across many neighboring sectors. Wherever she appeared, the miraculous followed: incurable diseases were healed, anti-life forces were eradicated, and entire villages were transformed for the better. Her mere presence shifted destinies.”

Richardʼs heart thudded in his chest as he imagined the scope of her deeds. ”...Little by little, every sector began watching for any rumor of Sereneʼs appearance. Communities would rush after her, hoping for a chance to be healed. Yet she never lingered in one place for long. She moved unpredictably, leaving only whispers and hope in her wake. She preferred that those she saved find their own paths afterward, while she herself vanished, seeking out the next soul in need.”

”Thus,” Victoria continued with a slight bow of her head, ”Her Highness Serene earned her title. Among the children of the Behemoths, she is unique. The people, out of love and admiration, bestowed upon her the epithet Sparkling, for she lights every place she touches and breathes hope into lands long considered lifeless. Not through fear, not through power, but through the simple radiance of her being unlike Hedrick, Son of Destruction, whose titles were earned through terror and devastation.”

”... She truly is remarkable,” Richard whispered, leaning back slightly, lost in thought.

It has to be her.

The memories of her of the girl who had pulled him back from the edge of madness, who had helped him reconcile with his fractured self-pressed gently against his mind. She had never left his sight, even in the loneliest hours of the night, on the battlefield, or in sleepʼs fragile embrace.

”She is remarkable,” Victoria nodded, a glimmer of admiration in her eyes. ”And when the news of her engagement to Damir, son of the Behemoth of Curses, spread a few centuries ago, the entire sector erupted in fury. Even the Millennium Empire in Mid Sector 101 formally protested, claiming that a girl of her caliber should remain under sectoral protection. Yet no one truly heeded them.”

”Serene is engaged?!” Richard jolted upright, startled. The chair creaked beneath him, his mind spinning with both disbelief and fascination. ”Yes,” Victoria affirmed, her gaze steady. ”The engagement was arranged centuries ago, with the wedding set for one millennium afterward. Invitations were sent to every power in the universe. That long period ensured the attendance of as many influential figures as possible. After all, even those who wished to avoid Damir personally, wanted to meet Serene, to secure her favor for the uncertain future.”

”The engagement announcement was first distributed 550 years ago, which means there are supposedly 450 years left until the wedding” Victoria began, her voice calm but carrying an underlying weight. She paused for a moment, letting the silence stretch between them, as if the space itself held its breath. ”Now, after the Curses Galaxy invaded Mid Sector 101, and considering the daily humiliations inflicted by the Marshal of the Curses Galaxy directly upon the Behemoth Kaylis herself, every intelligent mind expected the contract to be annulled. The rumors had spread like wildfire, everyone assumed the engagement would collapse under the pressure of galactic politics.”

”But now...” Victoria continued, her gaze steady, ”after the Sparkling Serene was summoned and entered the Bright Galaxy with a grand, formal procession, everyone is now claiming that the wedding date might be moved forward. They see it as a way to resolve the mounting tensions and disputes between sectors” She leaned forward slightly, lowering her voice, ”And honestly, weʼre all worried. If the bonds between the Pure Kaylis and the Cursed Darvion were to grow stronger again... she might align with him in the coming war against Lord

Hedrick. Against us.”

”Thatʼs impossible!” Richard leapt to his feet, his chair scraping across the floor. Shock and disbelief twisted his expression. His hands clenched at his sides, trembling slightly. ”How... how could-” His voice rose in a pitch of raw frustration. ”Serene is pure! She thinks only of her work and her ambitions! Serene doesnʼt want and should never be forced- to marry! If she must belong to a man, then that man should be me-”

Richard stopped abruptly, his chest heaving, as if he had glimpsed a truth too painful to speak aloud. His eyes darted around the room, wide and unblinking, before he suddenly slammed his chair against the door-BAM!-splinters flying. He turned sharply back to Victoria, voice low but laced with barely contained fury. ”Are there any other updates? Any leaks from Serene herself? Anything at

all?!”

”...!!!” Victoria realized in that instant that she had ventured into dangerous territory. Her hands gripped the armrests, knuckles white. ”There is... news from adventurers. They claimed they saw the Bright procession trying to persuade her to get back to Bright Galaxy. She resisted for a time... for a long hour of effort... before they finally convinced her to step forward. This particular news has caused a massive stir across the entirety of Mid Sector 101, and it has inflamed resentment toward the Bright Galaxy even further.” ”What do you mean ʼthey convinced herʼ? Did she... actually agree to marry this Damir?” Richardʼs breathing grew rapid, uneven, his chest rising and falling as though he might collapse under the weight of disbelief. Then, whoosh! A brief green flame leapt atop his head, crackling violently before dying out. ”I-- I had placed her on a pedestal in my mind... sacred, untouchable. A sun meant only to be admired from afar. How could she... consent to be thrown into the arms of another man? How... how is it possible while I am still alive?!” His voice rose to a roar, eyes blazing with a murderous intensity that seemed almost tangible.

”....!!!” Victoria pressed herself into her chair, frozen with fear. Her body felt numb, her mind struggling to process the terrifying force radiating from him. Was this the same Richard that the enemies of the empire feared in their final moments? Her chest tightened, and her heart hammered like a war drum. ”...I... Iʼm sorry,” Richard finally whispered, taking a tentative step back, wiping his face with both hands as if to remove the storm from his own skin. Then, forcing a strained, hollow smile, he added, ”I forgot myself... let my emotions show too clearly... and displayed myself poorly.”

”Itʼs... itʼs alright,” Victoria said softly, nodding twice, though her voice trembled slightly. ”Do... do you want any help with something?”

”....” Richard turned toward the half-destroyed door, the remnants of the

smashed chair lying in splinters around him. He began to walk slowly, deliberately, each step echoing against the walls. ”The Shadow Swords are the

only ones who can help me now. I just hope... I hope they have good answers. Otherwise... otherwise, the skies themselves will rain teeth in the coming period.” His words lingered, heavy with ominous intent, leaving a sense of dread that seemed to settle over the room like a dark fog.