Emperor's Bane

Chapter 546 Intermission: The Band of Doom (Part )
"Why does Lord Guilliman look at you with such resentment, father?"

"Because he just discovered that I don't agree with him on certain historical common sense issues, and he found it hard to understand: just like I don't understand why he has to be fond of those useless ones instead of choosing the new dynasty."

"……I do not understand."

"I didn't expect you to understand, you little illiterate Nostramo: did you bring the brothers I asked you to bring? I tell you, if you can't appease the appetite of the Great Devourer inside, my Sevatar, then you have to think about whether you want to braise it or bake it with salt."

"If I really have to choose a way to die, I would rather be boiled meat."

Sevatar laughed, then stepped back, revealing the view beside him.

"I have brought everything, Father."

"let me see……?"

"You bought a Land Rover? Where did you get the money?"

"It's rented. It's not cheap."

The Prince of Crows looked around, then carefully leaned close to his Gene-Father's ear and whispered a number: Before he finished speaking, Midnight Haunter's face became full of interest.

"Good boy: it's really not cheap."

"Is this how you spend the salary I give you?"

"You never paid any wages?"

"Yes: where do you get the money?"

Sevatar did not give a direct answer to this question. Instead, he exchanged glances with Conrad, and then directed the Lord of Nostramo's gaze to the lower altitude area on their left.

"Good evening, Lord Conrad."

Wherever I looked, I saw a pair of light pink ponytails, red eyes under the ponytails, and a face as cold as Morgan's: it was Midnight Haunter's beloved niece.

"You borrowed money from her?"

"Isn't this your suggestion?"

"..."

Conrad was silent, thinking back to what he had said before.

Rich, little girl, spending a lot of money...

No problem.

My kid is so obedient!

"When did you meet?"

"During the more than ten years that Mr. Sevatar has been studying abroad on the Aurora, his room has always been under my jurisdiction: you can think of me as his landlord."

Before the Prince of Crows could speak, Virgo took the initiative to answer the question.

"That's it."

Conrad nodded, then looked once more at his favorite offspring.

"So, how much did you borrow?"

"Is this..."

Sevatar leaned close to Midnight Haunter's ear again and whispered another number: but this time, the King of Nostramo's expression turned into astonishment.

"Are you selling yourself out?"

"not quite."

Sevatar blinked.

"I just happened to see your name on that list..."

"Shut up!"

Conrad coughed awkwardly. Although he still had countless questions in his mind, he had to hold them back at the moment: after all, the Midnight Haunter had been stranded outside for too long, and his three relatives in the room were looking over here curiously.

Just before he sent the Prince of Crows away, Conrad suddenly stopped, as if he remembered something, and his expression became a little complicated: he first looked seriously at his beloved Sevatar, then glanced at Virgo who was at most up to his knees, then he put his arm around Sevatar's shoulders and dragged him aside without saying anything.

"You're really good at this, Sai."

As Prince Crow looked confused, his genetic father sighed deeply.

"But take my advice and don't take it too far: I heard that Dawnbreaker has a prison specifically for people like you."

"?"

After saying that, Midnight Haunter pushed away Sevatar, who was still confused, and turned back to the room. When he just reached the door, he patted the shoulder of Virgo who was looking inside.

"Did you really lend him that much money?"

"Don't worry, there's no interest charged."

Virgo raised her head and looked at her...uncle with an expressionless face.

"Mr. Sevatar has a higher reputation with us than you, Mr. Conrad."

“It’s really comforting.”

Midnight Haunter sniffed.

"But what interests me more is: where do you get so much money, my little niece?"

"I also manage my mother's treasury."

Virgo narrowed her eyes in triumph.

"Mother's treasury contains the spoils she captured in every battle, as well as the legion points that she regularly receives as the supreme commander of Avalon, which are equivalent to her salary. You know, these points can be used as general equivalents on the Aurora. Both Lana and Sevatar use these points to buy midnight snacks."

"That makes sense."

Conrad grinned.

"However, given how often my sister orders midnight snacks, can her treasury support you to provide interest-free loans here? Does she know about this?"

"She doesn't care."

Virgo snorted.

"Besides, my mother would not pay for midnight snacks herself. Generally, it was paid for by Lord Rana. The occasional payment was made by her personally, but it was made through the Corps' public account."

"…What kind of public account?"

"Inner Circle: Their public accounts are generally recorded as special expenses of the legion."

"???"

"Wait... let me sort it out for a while."

The Primarch stroked his chin.

"What you mean is: you use Morgan's private money to lend to Rana or Sevata, and then they buy supper for my dear sister on the back of the debt, and my dear sister puts the money into the public account, and then gives you the money she received from the public account for safekeeping, and then you continue to lend this money to Rana or Sevata?"

"...hiss...wait..."

"Who is the loser then?"

------

【This question is meaningless.】

[In the face of collective priorities, the interests of the individual are destined to be secondary: even if the individual is a Primarch like me, there are rarely exceptions.]

Leaning on the makeshift tea table that she had dragged over with her psychic power, the Lord of Avalon, holding a silver fork in her hand, leisurely explained to Corax who was sitting opposite her, while most of her attention was already on the three-milk cake in front of her.

This simple Thai delicacy has a fresh and refreshing taste and does not even require special baking in the oven. The cake layer, which has been soaked in condensed milk, thick coconut milk, and sweet milk, is naturally endowed with a moist and greasy fragrance. When it slips quietly through your teeth, if your taste buds are filled with the fragrance and you are too late to wake up your dormant tongue, it will slide directly down your throat, leaving only the lingering rich milky aroma.

Next to this pastry, the rice pudding in the wine glass was precisely frozen in a special refrigerator overnight, and was just right garnished with the freshest cranberries. The fresh taste of the fruit mixed with the sweet milk aroma and the soft and glutinous rice aroma is enough to dispel the last trace of sleepiness in the brain.

As for the Pavlova fruit cake, which combines taste and beauty, it is one of the Lord of Avalon's favorite delicacies: this cake is just like its name, not only has a progressive taste, but also has the crispness and delicacy of ballet, and its appearance is so gorgeous that it is like the Muse of the cake world. Whenever the Lord of Avalon feels a little hungry in public, this luxurious but not exaggerated pastry is the best match for her to maintain her appearance.

Every time, when she tasted these delicacies late at night, the Spider Queen could not help but sigh: She was able to withstand objections such as the high cost and insisted that Reza's mechanical sages search for the purest plant seeds or animal bloodlines throughout the empire, and then set aside a protected area around the Avalon galaxy as a breeding ground. It was a foresighted idea.

Apart from anything else, if it weren't for the various fresh animals and plants produced in these protected areas, which serve as part of the welfare of the top leaders and support the enviable quality of life of the members of Avalon's core circle, how could the backbones under Morgan's command recruit those super-successors who are forced out from hundreds of millions of people from various hive worlds year after year?

These are the best among those who have risen from the bottom and climbed out for a better life and a bright future. Their perseverance and strong execution ability can often even scare the Primarch himself: The Lord of Avalon had to check these miraculous guys again and again to make sure whether their pupils are dark blue?
The good news is that, so far, she hasn't found any dark blue ones.

The bad news is that she did see that the pupils of some of them were...

"Golden?"

Corax stared at the cake in front of him that was as gorgeous as an evening gown. There was no more kindness in his silent face, especially when he saw the plates that were literally inlaid with gold carvings, his pair of handsome long eyebrows were furrowed like mountains.

[Why, not to your liking? ]

Morgan smiled and asked knowingly.

"……probably."

The Crow King forced a smile, then extended his hand to the rice pudding beside him: Compared to these gorgeous pastries, this dessert, which can even be made from leftover rice or other scraps after a meal, naturally won more favor from Corax.

“I’ll just eat this.”

Corax nodded, but Guilliman and Konrad beside him had no similar concerns. These two pragmatists simply ate whatever they could get their hands on. The Lord of Macragge was particularly interested in the nut pie: he stared at this portable, high-calorie food, wondering what he was thinking.

In this way, this unique tea party was carried out with strange chewing sounds and intermittent discussions. The clock on the wall moved forward from half past ten to half past twelve. The appetites of the primarchs were as endless as the ideas in their minds. They screened the remaining options for Corax over and over again until everyone's attention was focused on the last few songs.

[I think this is very appropriate.]

Morgan stretched out a finger and pointed at one of the few names left on the list: While everyone's attention was diverted, the Spider Queen took the opportunity to snap her fingers silently, and then, the plate of Tres Leches Cake closest to the Lord of Macragge mysteriously disappeared, leaving the Lord of Avalon's face suddenly puffed up.

"This song……"

Guilliman, who was the farthest away, narrowed his eyes slightly.

"Very old: but it does seem to have a very positive meaning."

[Do you remember what I just said to you, Corax?]

Morgan ignored Guilliman and looked at the real person involved.

[In the face of the interests of the group, the interests of the individual can be abandoned: You don't have to choose songs completely according to your own preferences. You should imagine your legion, especially your old friends on the Redemption Star. What kind of song would they want? ]

"You mean, this is suitable?"

Corax asked, but Morgan, who had heard this song a long time ago, did not answer directly. She just raised her hand and signaled Conrad to turn on the phonograph again and add the corresponding tape: she believed that Corax would make his own decision.

Thus, in the tranquil atmosphere of the four Primarchs, an ancient, passionate, yet extremely long tune slowly emerged from the phonograph. The heavy imprint of soil and laborers made Guilliman and Corax's brows relax from the very beginning.

For the next ten seconds, they just listened quietly.

"Is this ancient Terran?"

"It should be German."

……

I'm so happy that I'm so tired
(We are Gaiye’s black army, hi ya hoo hoo)

And the wolf with the Tyrannen fell, he was so tired.
(Our military boots crush tyrants and trample down tyranny, hey ah ah ah)

Spieβvoran, draw and drive,

(Point forward, move forward!)

setzt auf's Klosterdach den roten Hahn!
(The red rooster stands on the monastery!)
(The song is called "We Are Geyer's Black Army": Geyer was a leader of a peasant uprising in German history, and Geyer's Black Army refers to an elite militia composed of knights and mercenaries who sympathized with the uprising. They were one of the symbols of the German peasant uprising. This song has always been a famous liberation song.)
(However, during World War II, this song was unfortunately used by the NC regime, which led to it being tainted with a certain bad reputation. But until now, it is still a popular song of the European left-wing movement and a complete liberator song: so don’t have any strange ideas~)

……

“A very simple tone.”

The song hadn't ended yet but Corax couldn't wait to express his opinion. It was rare to see him so impatient, and this impatience and the gleam in his eyes showed that the Primarch was extremely satisfied with the song.

Especially when he heard those two sentences:
Also Adam grub and Eva spann, kyrieleys,

(When Adam and Eve worked hard, God showed mercy to them)
wo war denn da der Edelmann? Kyrieleys.
(Where are the kings and nobles? May God have mercy on you.)
“These two sentences are really good.”

The Crow King nodded with satisfaction. "That's the essence of the whole song. It's really remarkable that a group of peasants can have such awareness under the feudal system of knight fiefdom. You are right, my sister. This song really reminds me of the story that happened on the Redemption Star. I must pass it on to my brothers and sisters."

“I support that.”

Before Morgan could speak, the Lord of Macragge, who was sitting farthest away, nodded first, holding his chin with a thoughtful look on his face.

"But please forgive me for saying two things: from these lyrics alone, we can clearly feel the author's limitations of the times, including those sentences like "The Lord's Curtain", which are obviously not suitable to appear in the military songs of the Astartes Legion. After all, we are not the Word Bearers Legion."

【We can change the words. 】

Morgan smiled and did not give the conflict a chance to escalate further.

[Just like the line "Red rooster standing on the monastery", it can be changed to "Black crow standing on the watchtower". As for the lines "Lord, have mercy on me", they can also be changed to "We are all united", or any lyrics that fit the Great Crusade.]

"indeed so."

Guilliman nodded: he was only offering a suggestion.

After this sole objection dissipated itself, the rest of the voting process was simply a formality: Corax could hardly wait to turn on the phonograph again and memorize every word of the song in detail, while Morgan, who was watching all this, just smiled with satisfaction.

This ancient song of the peasant rebellion was the result of her careful selection. The Lord of Avalon even bypassed those more progressive songs because she knew very well that Corax and his Redemption Star companions were essentially just a peasant rebellion. They did not need the best, but the most suitable one.

She knew that the best option when dealing with her blood brothers was to let things take their own course and to help them cautiously: she could lend a helping hand to them in their difficulties, but if they were stubborn, there was no need to continue to help them out of self-interest.

“I’m glad we’ve reached an agreement.”

While Morgan was thinking, Midnight Haunter, who was leaning on the table, collected the remaining records. While sorting them out, he took the opportunity to throw the pastries on Morgan's plate into his mouth.

"But now that we have come this far."

Conrad blinked, a dangerous smile appeared on his face, and his narrow pupils stared at Corax: Corax, with an innocent look on his face, stared at his blood relative, completely unaware of what was going to happen next.

"Corax, look, we brothers have been here all night to help you select solutions, you should also find a way to thank us. Isn't that right?"

"……indeed."

The simple miner's son nodded.

"So, what do you have to say?"

"Opinions..."

Midnight Haunter looked around, and it was clear that neither the frowning Morgan nor Guilliman, who was almost as confused as Corax, could answer the question for him: Conrad naturally threw out his thoughts.

"How about singing us a song? The one we picked out."

"of course."

The Crow King turned on the phonograph again without even thinking about it.

【What are you doing? 】

When the accompaniment sounded, Morgan had already grabbed Conrad's neck and pulled him directly to his side. Guilliman, who had been watching Corax, glanced at all this with the corner of his eyes, his eyebrows twitching, but pretended not to see it.

"Relax, Morgan."

Conrad smiled grimly.

"Later, it will be interesting."

Before he finished speaking, Corax over there started singing passionately.

And when the first note sung by the Son of the Redeemed Star pierced Morgan's eardrums, the face of the Lord of Avalon became dazed. She unconsciously let go of Conrad's neck and looked in the direction of Corax with a confused face: the Macragge people also made the same move.

【…】

How do you evaluate Corax's singing?

As this fatal question flashed through Avalon's mind, Morgan couldn't help but imagine an answer, a vivid picture that could only describe her feelings about Corax's singing at this moment.

In this scene, her two most elegant brothers, Sanguinius and Fulgrim, were stripping naked, sitting on a pile of rocks with their legs spread out, and their removed clothes were tied around their waists, covered with grease.

The two primarchs were seen arm in arm with each other, calling each other brothers in a heroic manner, eating gold and silver with big mouthfuls, sharing large chunks of wine and meat, and looking very happy.

"An expedition! An expedition! Farther than a bird's expedition!"

……

That's pretty much the scene.

Morgan's nose twitched.

She really couldn't understand how Corax, with a face like a melancholy poet, could sing the song with the accent of a coal miner, and Guilliman, sitting next to her, seemed to be confused about this too.

【Is this what you wanted me to see?】

Midnight Ghost was silent for a moment.

"Believe me: I couldn't believe it until I heard it myself."

Conrad had a smile on his face, just like his other two brothers, because Corax had already finished singing the song, and all his dear blood relatives could do was to put on stiff smiles and give warm applause to their brother, the Redeemer Star.

The Crow King scratched his head, feeling somewhat embarrassed. Then, he walked straight to Conrad and stuffed the voice machine into Conrad's hand.

"Would you like to try it, brother?"

"……you sure?"

"That's what we usually do at Redemption Star's party, taking turns on stage."

Seeing Corax's smile, the stiffness on Conrad's face slowly faded away, followed by a dangerous smile that made Morgan's brows twitch: Midnight Haunter seemed very confident in his singing skills. He returned a spirited look to his brothers, then strode to the radio.

The accompaniment sounded and the ghost opened his throat.

……

Conrad sang only one line.

One sentence is enough.

In an instant, it was as if tens of millions of wild cats were howling miserably, while at the same time using their claws to ruthlessly scratch the sharp glass, closely sticking to the ears of the other three Primarchs and releasing distorted sounds that made teeth aching: in just a moment, Midnight Haunter engraved the supreme pain forever in the hearts of his three beloved brothers and sisters.

Without any hesitation, Morgan picked up the dessert plate next to her, and without even caring about the unfinished food on it, she smashed it on Conrad's head. Corax, who was sitting opposite her, was stunned, but miraculously did not say anything to stop it, but maintained a shameful acquiescence.

Even Guilliman, who was sitting on the other side, symbolically threw over a few cakes after a brief hesitation.

"Sorry, bro."

The Macragge's face was filled with sorrow.

"But you deserve it."

"Of course I know: my singing is a form of torture in Nostramo."

Conrad grinned and turned off the phonograph. He seemed not surprised at the treatment he would receive. He even took the opportunity to grab a few pieces of cake thrown by Morgan and Guilliman and threw them directly into his mouth. While chewing with puffed cheeks, he gave a look to Corax who looked ashamed.

"Bad decision, bro."

"……Feel sorry."

The Raven King shrank his neck, looking like an elementary school student who had made a mistake, while Midnight Haunter swaggered back to his seat and threw the generator in his hand to the next Primarch who needed to appear: Morgan.

When Morgan walked forward, she didn't even need to stretch out her hand, the phonograph automatically began to play the first chapter. The Lord of Avalon stood there, cleared her throat, and felt a little unsure: she had never played a song formally before, and she didn't know how she would sing.

But before Morgan could finish his thought, the lyrics started to sound. The Spider Queen had no time to continue her wild thoughts and just started singing. While singing, she stared closely at the facial expressions of the other three people. The more she stared, the more uneasy she became: Why did their expressions look so strange?
Be it Guilliman, Corax, or even Conrad: their expressions are not so much simple happiness or resistance as a very complicated... entanglement?
Even the Midnight Haunter frowned at this time, and the smile on his face became stiff and funny, as if he saw an extremely delicious cake, which was not only delicious, but also very hungry at the moment: but this cake was made of plastic.

……

This weird atmosphere continued until Morgan finished her song and was greeted with sparse applause.

"very……"

Guilliman spoke first, his features twitching unconsciously.

“Very exquisite singing skills.”

【…】

"Yes."

Corax nodded, his neck straining like rusty machinery.

"Very...thoughtful."

【…】

Morgan said nothing, she just smiled back at her brothers, then quickly shrank back to her seat and threw the voice machine directly to the next person: and just as Guilliman came on stage, the Spider Queen grabbed Conrad directly to her side.

【what happened? 】

"...You want to hear the truth?"

【explain! 】

The Primarch lowered his voice.

"how to say……"

Midnight Haunter twitched the corners of his mouth.

"Your tone was very good, your pronunciation was very clear, and your voice was as sweet as I said before. In short, you really sang a very good song."

"But the only problem is that we can't hear any emotion in it. It's like a well-wound machine, spitting out every word of the lyrics in a rigid manner: Both me and the other two people can hear that this is definitely not your original accent. You are almost pinching your throat and singing there."

"Not at all: real feelings."

【…】

Morgan opened her mouth, but in the end she said nothing.

because……

Guilliman began to sing.

------

"How do I sing, brothers?"

Lord Macragge sang the entire song with his eyes closed, and when he opened his eyes after the end, expecting a response from his blood brothers, what greeted him was only a solemn silence: every one of his blood brothers had fallen.

Corax's head was buried in the unfinished rice pudding in front of him, his long black hair mixed with white food residues, while Morgan was leaning back in his chair, and one could even hear a slight snoring sound. Conrad was resting his head on the Lord of Avalon's shoulder, and one could vaguely see his saliva.

"...?"

Guilliman frowned.

Didn’t he just sing for a few minutes?

With doubts in mind, Lord Macragge instinctively turned on the phonograph, and the song he had just sung floated over from it.

He wants to listen...

"..."

The phonograph started, and in the extremely serious and formal singing of the Lord of Macragge, as solid as the rock castle of Dorne and as heavy as the history of Terra, an invisible wave began to sweep through the entire room.

He glanced at the messy dining table and Conrad who was smacking his lips.

Scan...

"Huh...huh..."

In his singing.

Guilliman lay on the ground.

At this moment, I am sleeping soundly.

Amid the gentle snoring of the Macragge people, only the solemn singing, which was enough to make one's eyelids droop just by listening to one sentence, echoed over and over again in the entire room.

I'm so happy that I'm so tired...

(End of this chapter)