Emperor's Bane

Chapter 561 True and False Conrad

"Isn't it better yet?"

Olpersson's voice was hoarse.

He sat upright on a silk stool, his hands on the table, his face showing a slightly impatient expression: he wanted to find a cigarette, but the silver box in his sleeve pocket was already empty, so he could only swallow the saliva that was growing between his teeth again.

This made him even more impatient.

So, before the clerk sitting across the table could ask another question (which would surely be some repetitive and conventional questions), Olpersson raised his hand and interrupted him rudely, spewing out his own statement: the privileges of an officer and the two rows of medals on his chest gave him the qualifications to do so.

"Look, I don't care how many options are on that damn form you have in your hand, I'm just going to say it again."

He was coughing up phlegm, a common problem for any old smoker, and his mind was thinking of dirty words, but after glancing at Cyrene, who was sitting next to him and quietly eating cake, Orperson swallowed back the dirty words that were about to come out of his mouth.

"I want to adopt this little guy and just be his foster father."

"You don't need to ask too many other questions."

Olperson touched Cyrene's head.

"Anyway, in the past month or so, I've gotten along well with this girl, and the church that originally raised her was torn apart and basically disbanded after moving out of the City of Perfection. Considering that she has no relatives here, I wanted to take her back to Avalon, which would be safer."

The clerk nodded, with a simple sense of agreement on her face: she certainly believed that Avalon was safer than the City of Perfection.

"But considering that I'm a soldier and I don't have a family, all I can do now is to send her to a kindergarten. If I have to choose, I'll naturally choose the best, which is the one on the Aurora. It just so happens that I'm an officer, so my children, even if they're adopted daughters, are eligible to go to school there."

"This is all the reason and thought I want to adopt her: Any more questions?"

The clerk did not answer him immediately, but carefully checked the documents in her hands. She was a woman who looked to be in her twenties, with a remnant of childishness on her face. Orperson understood that a young clerk like this most likely had an officer elder serving in the Avalon Mortal Auxiliary Army, so even if it was out of habit, they would not make things difficult for an active soldier like him.

It turned out to be what he thought.

"You have another question you must answer, Mr. Olperson."

The clerk looked up, smiled at little Cyrene, then silently took out three of the four forms in her hand and put them under her arm: the conversation progressed a lot.

"According to your previous description, you have not yet formed a family, nor do you have any blood relatives. And now, this child is only eight years old and does not have the ability to act and make decisions on his own..."

"I already said that."

Olperson felt a little tired.

"Didn't I show you the official documents in my hand? The age difference between me and this little girl is far more than the legal requirement of 40 years. Put your sensitive heart back in your stomach."

"No, that's not what I meant."

The clerk was not angry, perhaps because he was used to seeing people like Orperson.

"According to what you said, you want to place this child on the Aurora, but your position is not here, but on another ship. In addition, you don't have any relatives to contact. So if this child has an emergency, who should the kindergarten contact?"

"In other words, do you have any trustworthy colleagues or friends to whom you can entrust your adopted daughter without reservation? Please leave their contact information here. We need to know the second emergency contact."

"..."

Frankly speaking, this request was very simple and reasonable, but Olpersson could not meet it. He fell into silence and lost himself in long memories.

Friends...trust...worthy of trust?

When these words were mixed up in Orpesson's mind, the first figure that the Immortal thought of was naturally Neos who was emitting golden light. Then, of course, the Immortal thought of John, the warmongerer than him: he might have died at the end of Terra's war of unification.

The three of them used to be a team. A long, long time ago, when humans had just learned to kill each other, he and John had united around Neos. They were indeed friends who could trust and confide in each other, until the three of them parted ways on that tower.

The Immortal's smile was bitter, and for a moment, he really wanted to write the name Neos, and attach a contact number that he had almost forgotten. But after this funny idea was born, the Immortal quickly frowned because of a serious question that followed.

By the way: That guy Neos...

Will he raise children?

------

"Of course not."

"Why would you have such a ridiculous idea: it sounds like a joke."

After dismissing his host and sending them back to their respective ships, the Great Bearer gladly accepted the invitation of his two blood brothers (primarily Morgan) and boarded the flagship of the Space Wolves Legion for a rare gathering of the Primarchs.

Although just a few hours ago, Luo Jia, who had just arrived above the Perfect City, was almost scared to death because he caught a glimpse of Leman Russ's [Hercules Fenr], now after what happened on the ground, that is, the gift of the [God-Emperor] and the sublimation of the Perfect City, Luo Jia's mentality has completely changed.

Even though the Great Speaker claimed to be humble, at this moment, he still walked into Leman Russ's flagship with his head held high, with the smugness of a winner: he was not doing this for the Fenrisians to see, after all, Lorgar knew that the Wolf King had nothing to do with this matter, and apart from this, the brotherhood between the Great Speaker and the Fenrisians was still very strong.

But then again, apart from Magnus, basically every Primarch could greet Leman Russ with a smile. Even Jonson and Guilliman would not deny their brotherhood with the Wolf King: Leman Russ has never lacked friends, what he lacks is the kind of close friends who can understand his heart.

Lorgar was certainly not among them. Compared to Leman Russ, the Great Bearer was more concerned about his victory at this moment: although he did not actually defeat anyone, he could show this victory to himself a few hours ago.

He won.

He is right.

The Divine Emperor acknowledged his efforts.

His legion, his offspring, everything he had given, his anxieties a few hours ago, his confession and piety in the Perfect City: everything was worth it. This feeling of a dream coming true was more fascinating than any victory, and it did not even require congratulations from others. It was enough to keep Luo Jia intoxicated for a long time.

That’s it: you don’t need anyone to witness it, just know it in your heart.

With such a happy event at hand, even Guilliman beside him became much more pleasing to the eye. Lorgar could even chat with this Macragge man, talking about insensitive issues, and turning around from time to time to seek advice from Morgan, who was walking on the other side of him.

He didn't notice at all what kind of lineup it looked like from afar, with him walking in the middle, while Morgan and Guilliman walked on his left and right, half a body length behind him. Not to mention, the Great Bearer was only wearing an extremely simple robe at this time, while Guilliman and Morgan next to him were fully armed.

It looks like he's just out for some fresh air.

After the wild wolves standing by caught a glimpse of this scene, their eyes twitched and they were speechless.

These wild wolves were not a guard of honor, but elite guards armed to the teeth, because the primarchs' planes did not stop at the central helipad of the Queen of Glory, but came to a dark secret cabin, where the room numbers would not even appear in the written records.

In order to welcome his brothers, Leman Russ directly opened the most private and core external interface on the [Heraculfen]. Although this small place looked unremarkable, when Morgan and the other two pushed open the iron door in front of them, they found that they were only a few minutes away from Leman Russ's throne room, as well as the Space Wolves' most core arsenal and hall of glory.

In other words, if it were not the three brothers of Leman Russ standing here, but a fully equipped team of Terminators, they could even launch a threatening decapitation attack on the Wolf King before the main force of the Space Wolves could react.

For a Primarch, this welcoming location was somewhat undignified, but as blood brothers, the friendship of the Wolf King was of paramount importance: he so carelessly laid out one of the most important secrets of his flagship in front of his three blood brothers. If it were in wartime, such a secret entrance would be worth hundreds of thousands of lives.

[So, before we leave, do we need to undergo a memory-erasing operation? ]

Morgan asked, causing both Lorgar and Guilliman to laugh.

They didn't find a guide, but Leman Russ thoughtfully used stones to mark the location of his room at the door. The three Primarchs continued to discuss their previous topic while feeling the chill on the stones.

"I think Luo Jia is right."

It was Guilliman who spoke this time, and he looked noticeably more relaxed.

"Although I don't want to say this, if it's Magnus, it's simply a fantasy for you to convince him. Morgan: He is the proudest among our brothers. Just like Luo Jia said just now, it is undoubtedly a joke to want Magnus to admit his mistakes."

“It’s still a very funny joke.”

The Great Bearer added a witticism at just the right moment, and at the end he did not forget to fist bump with his Macragge brother: the two of them were rarely so harmonious.

[How could it be that the two of you have such a high degree of consistency in your ideas? ]

Morgan raised his brow.

【It's really rare. 】

"Magnus is one of the few guys who can keep everyone in line."

Guilliman's accurate evaluation made Lorgar, who was standing next to him, nod repeatedly.

"Of course, we don't hate him. Magnus is a very friendly brother who will enthusiastically help anyone. It's just that some of his ideas and... careers are always inconsistent with people's mainstream thinking."

The Macragge tried to make his words sound as tactful as possible.

[Do you both think so? ]

"This has long been a consensus." Luo Jia closed his eyes and seemed to be praying for his red brothers.

"Even if you ask Dorn and Perturabo at the same time, they will definitely give you the same answer: Magnus is one of the few things that can make them agree on the same point of view, and there is also..."

Lorgar fell silent, and Morgan could notice him glancing at Guilliman, who seemed unaware of what was happening: that's right, another thing that could keep Dorn and Perturabo in line was now chatting with them.

(According to the excerpt from HH7 I found, the original text says: Even Rogal Dorn and Perturabo stopped their eternal rivalry, supported the decision to suspend the Librarian project, and publicly condemned the actions of Magnus, the Grand Wizard of Prospero.)
Fortunately, Guilliman's mind had just wandered for a moment: his mind was always wandering, he was thinking too much, but this time it was just right, and a few seconds later the Macragge was asking Morgan the question he had just thought of.

"Why are you suddenly asking us about Magnus?"

It hit the nail on the head.

Morgan glanced at her brother: Guilliman was more sensitive than Lorgar in this regard.

【Because of some official business. 】

She spoke briefly, noting that they were not far from Ruth's room.

[I asked you about your thoughts just to get a feel for the situation. Serious matters should wait until we get together. However, it doesn't hurt to tell you something first: the Emperor plans to hold a meeting before returning to Terra, a meeting of a scale beyond imagination.]

[For now, there are three themes in this meeting: The Great Crusade, The Warmaster, and Magnus.]

The Primarch winked at her brother. Lorgar still looked a little dazed, not really concerned about these things, but Guilliman quickly fell into thought again. In just a few seconds, the Macragge man came to a conclusion with a strange look on his face.

"I suppose this wouldn't be a good thing for Magnus, would it?"

[How are you so sure? 】

"A little bit of reasoning."

Guilliman sighed.

"No matter which Primarch is involved, he is not qualified to be mentioned in the same breath as the Great Crusade and the Warmaster, especially in such a major meeting as you are talking about. And yet Magnus was brought up, and he has no merits to match his own. It must be that something about him, or something he represents, is so serious that it needs to be singled out and put together with the Warmaster and the Great Crusade for the Emperor to discuss with the Primarchs."

"And no matter what this matter is, Magnus will definitely not feel good about being singled out as a target. Considering our brother's character, he may not realize this, so he may make things worse."

【…】

Guilliman indeed.

Morgan admired in her heart. It took her more than ten minutes to figure it out.

However, this matter is indeed not complicated: just like when you have not achieved any results, but your parents call your full name in a clear voice and with the most serious attitude, you should realize that nothing good is waiting for you.

Children with parents understand this.

Therefore, the Primarchs generally did not understand.

Morgan smiled in his heart. While they were talking, they had already walked to the heaviest stone door. Without identifying it, he instinctively knew that this was the residence of Leman Russ. There were no guards in front of the door, and no one was waiting. The Primarchs looked at each other, and then Morgan and Guilliman took a step back in unison.

So, Luo Jia went up and knocked on the door without hesitation.

But before the voice fell, the stone door opened on its own. Obviously, the people in the room had been waiting for them for some time. When the Great Speaker looked closely, he wondered if he was dazzled.

"..."

He opened his mouth and was silent for a moment, staring at the face in front of him that was both familiar and unfamiliar, and the full head of black hair. He was silent for a few seconds before he hesitantly uttering his guess.

"Conrad...is that you?"

"Yes, brother, it's me."

The person who opened the door nodded, and Luo Jia felt relieved.

"You've changed a lot, brother. You look much calmer than before."

"Of course."

Conrad: With a straight face.

“Compared to before.”

“I’m a very different person.”

"Welcome, Luo Jia."

"Ah...thank you..."

The Great Speaker was still slow. He instinctively realized that the man in front of him did not seem to be Conrad. Although he did look exactly like Conrad, whether it was the details of his facial features or his full head of black hair, he was the Midnight Haunter in his impression, but their auras were completely different.

What's going on...

Is it because he had been kneeling for too long, and when he suddenly stood up, his blood and energy had not yet come up, causing his mind to be a little confused?
Lorgar was still confused. Guilliman, who knew the real situation behind him, could no longer bear to watch it. But just when he wanted to remind him, Morgan next to him covered his mouth and also covered his own to prevent his laughter from leaking out.

Guilliman watched this scene and began to laugh unconsciously.

If you think about it, his blood relative's embarrassment is pretty funny, isn't it?

But some people can't cover it up anymore.

"Ha ha ha ha……"

"Hehehehe..."

A wild, feral, and untamed voice came from the room, from behind [Conrad]. The Great Speaker belatedly followed the voice and saw a scene that made his brain freeze: there were two other people squatting next to the stone table and stone chair near the balcony. The one sitting on the chair was Russ, and the one leaning on the balcony...

"Conrad...?"

Luo Jia's eyes widened: the guy leaning on the balcony, with that crazy smile and unique breath, even if he was burned to ashes, he could be sure that it was Conrad, his crazy Nostramo brother.

But this one in front of me...

The Great Speaker looked down and found that the originally stern Conrad finally smiled with difficulty and seemed to be unable to hold it back any longer. But for some reason, this fake Conrad frightened Luo Jia more than the real Conrad.

"You are……?"

The Great Bearer lowered his voice.

"Corax."

Finally, the fake Conrad said his name with a smile on his face.

"Conrad and I look a lot alike. You're not the first person to have trouble with this, Lorgar."

"...That's it."

"so."

Corax looked up and shook the hand of his Word Bearer brother.

"I hope that this unique way of meeting you will help you remember me, brother. This is what Conrad suggested to me: It doesn't matter if you can't see me. At least you won't confuse me with Conrad in the future, right?"

"of course not."

Lorgar laughed, and he took the hand that Corax offered.

This hand is rough.

The one with great ambition thought.

"I believe……"

"I'll be impressed with you, Brother Corax."

"How profound?"

"..."

"As deep as these words are carved into my flesh, brother."

(End of this chapter)