Emperor's Bane

Chapter 562 Do you think you are a conservative?

Chapter 562 Do you think you are a conservative?
【I don’t think I am. 】

【As for you, Leman Russ, I think you are more of a conservative. 】

Morgan put her five fingers together and stroked the rough stone cup in her palm. She tried her best to give a gentle smile so that her words would not sound so harsh: like a subconscious answer.

Although these things were already familiar to the Spider Queen, she still adjusted her attitude, like a lion fighting a rabbit. Even the curve of her mouth corners and the upward movement of her eyebrows were specially adjusted to make them appear natural.

The reason was simple, because the one who suddenly asked her the question at this moment was Leman Russ, the man with the roughest appearance but the most delicate mind among the six people present, and the question he asked was by no means aimless: this could be seen from the Wolf King's hesitation and contemplation for a moment after Morgan asked the question in return.

"I'm...conservative?"

Leman Russ was stunned for a moment, then smiled awkwardly.

"Whatever. You know I never care about these things."

After saying this, looking at the smiling Morgan, Russ licked his lips, did not continue asking questions, but turned around and greeted the other brothers like a host, focusing his main attention on Lorgar and Guilliman.

Compared with the Wolf King, Morgan was much more relaxed. Among the people present, the only one she needed to greet properly was Leman Russ: Lorgar and Guilliman came with her, and Corax, the good boy, only needed Morgan to nod to him and then nod herself in response.

As for Conrad...

The Spider Queen just gave him a look, and the boy obediently found a place to sit down. Before leaving, he did not forget to wipe off the wolfskin that had been warmed by his butt, and it seemed that he had no intention of returning it.

And at this moment, the naturally outgoing Russ had put one arm around the strange-looking Guilliman and the other around Lorgar, who was laughing with difficulty, and dragged his two brothers towards the rough stone table with laughter: Corax followed them, glanced at the expressions on Lorgar and Guilliman's faces, and then quietly moved half a body away from his Fenris brother.

Before this strange group reached the stone table, several well-dressed servants emerged from the shadows of the room. They came and went like shadows, but none of the Primarchs seemed surprised.

The Primarchs waited for the mortal servants to drag the stone chairs, which were several times heavier than themselves, and arrange them neatly. Then they bowed to Leman Russ and quietly withdrew. Only when the last person left the room did Morgan look at her wolf brother with amusement.

Her soul exploration told her that these servants were neither mortals, nor machine slaves, nor Astartes warriors, but they did have the smell of Fenris's wind and snow: her rough barbarian brother was hiding more things than they imagined.

Russ responded to Morgan's gaze with a frank smile. He unceremoniously put on the posture of a master and took the initiative to pull out chairs for his brothers and arrange seats: he still sat on his big wolf skin, Morgan sat opposite him, and Guilliman and Lorgar occupied the other two directions.

Conrad refused to continue sitting on the chairs that were resting on his butt. He swung his legs and leaned directly on the balcony next to the stone table. He rolled up his wolf skin and used it to pad his knees. He was standing close to the small circle of primarchs. The same thing happened to the Raven King. He also sat on the balcony, but his posture was much more upright, and he even held a pen and a clipboard in his hands.

"Let me thank you first, brothers."

The chessboard on the stone table was removed and replaced by a wide variety of wine bottles and rough wine glasses. Leman Russ naturally poured himself the first glass. He saluted all the brothers present, and a smile as sincere as the sun hung on his face carved by wind and snow.

"Thank you for coming: this is the first time my battleship has been so lively."

"I guess this is the first time your wine cellar has been so dangerous."

Before the Wolf King's voice fell, the Midnight Ghost's joke floated over from the side, making everyone present laugh out loud: the originally somewhat restrained atmosphere was completely melted away by the trust and joy between brothers.

Conrad raised his chin proudly towards the Spider Queen who was watching him.

"You're wrong about that."

The Fenrisian stiffened his neck and spoke in defense of his proudest treasure.

"Even if each of you brings his own legion, my wine storehouse will not be in danger. It can withstand it. For a man of Fenris has more wine than he can drink unless the center of the galaxy can open a drunken mouth."

"This is the basic quality of any Fenrisian man, my brothers!"

"Hahaha……"

The wolf king's neck was stretched to be as thick as his chin, and his cheeks were already red before he even drank the wine, causing his blood relatives to laugh. Even Guilliman at the side covered his mouth and chuckled.

But the Macragge did not forget to pour wine for the blood relatives beside him. After all, he had the most bottles and glasses in front of him: Guilliman's movements were extremely skillful and admirable.

"Have you ever poured wine before?"

Corax watched Guilliman's smooth movements before him, unable to suppress his curiosity, while the Macragge nodded absently, loud enough for everyone present to hear.

"Yes, when I was a child, I served as a cupbearer for my adoptive father Connor for a period of time. This is a tradition on Macragge. Any politician with a son would prefer to drink the drink handed to him by his own son rather than by other strangers."

At this point, as if inevitably recalling the past, Guilliman's voice became long as he walked aside to pour Conrad wine.

"To be honest, this is not a very pleasant thing, brother, because it means that you have to stand in a party full of calculations and political deals, holding a wine jug for your father for half the night, and during this time you have to listen closely to the various people fighting openly and secretly, and everyone is smiling but hiding a knife."

"And when you experience this once, or even multiple times, you will realize something very sad: your adoptive father is not as easy-going and kind as you have seen before. In situations where you have not seen him before, he can also be cunning and fierce. In addition to his identity as a father, he also has the shell of a politician. This fact often makes you feel disconnected for a long time."

"For a long time, because of this incident, the relationship between me and my adoptive father was not so harmonious. Now I think that I was still wrong in this matter."

"Unfortunately, I can't apologize to him."

The Lord of the Ultramarines knew all about this history that he had personally experienced. While pouring wine for his brothers, he told them the story with a hint of melancholy in his voice. He was completely unaware of the atmosphere around the stone table and suddenly fell into some inexplicable silence.

#Quiet#
"Guilliman, you haven't changed at all."

After he finished speaking, the Wolf King sighed without any reason.

"I feel relieved now."

After saying this, Leman Russ left Guilliman, who was looking confused, and turned to welcome his other brother.

"And you, Aurelion."

Leman Russ grinned and bared his teeth. Instead of saying "Lorgar", he addressed him as "Aurelian": because he knew that in the Word Bearers, those descendants who were deeply loved by Lorgar would use Aurelion instead of "Sir" or "Father" to highlight the unity within the Seventeenth Legion and their equality as believers of the God-Emperor.

"I hope you don't mind what happened today, brother."

The Wolf King raised his glass first, and Luo Jia responded politely.

"You know, everything that happened today is the will of the All-Father. Both he and us brothers hope that you and your legion will be safe. The matter of Perfect City has been successfully resolved. We are as happy as you are, Luo Jia."

“Congratulations to your city.”

"Thank you, Russ: but all this is the will of the God-Emperor."

Luo Jia put down his wine glass and worshiped devoutly: Ever since the Lord of Mankind staged a scene of "The Coming of the Divine Emperor" in front of him, this already fanatical Great Speaker has become so extreme that every time he mentions the Divine Emperor, no matter what he is doing, he has to stop and perform the most formal worship.

I just hope he doesn't make a habit of singing praises to the God-Emperor when he's in battle.

Morgan smiled inwardly.

"He knows everything, he can do everything, his will permeates our lives, his vision sees through the middle of the galaxy, the Perfect City has stood in the eyes of the God-Emperor since the moment it was born, today is just the sacred moment when he accepts this tribute."

"Of course the All-Father is omnipotent."

Leman Russ grinned and did not discuss this topic in depth with Lorgar. He just laughed it off and went along with his brother's meaning. This was his philosophy of getting along with Lorgar: Don't discuss whether the All-Father is a god or not. Anyway, the All-Father is omniscient and omnipotent.

On this point, he and Luo Jia always get along well.

As for whether an omniscient and omnipotent All-Father is a god or not: Lorgar certainly would not ask such a stupid question. And as a mere barbarian like Leman Russ, why should he explain this matter clearly?
"Okay, in that case, today's incident is over."

“Everyone needs to look forward.”

Leman Russ drank the wine in the glass and clapped his hands loudly. No one, including Luo Jia, refuted his words: Morgan was still a little tired from the performance in front of the Perfect City, and as for the remaining three people, none of them liked to grab the right to speak.

"We need to talk about something else."

"Then you better come up with an interesting topic, Ruth."

Guilliman beside him smiled and absentmindedly played with his wine glass.

"If it's just drinking, this meeting won't last fifteen minutes."

"Is your alcohol tolerance so poor?"

"Is it possible that your wine is just too bad, brother?"

"Impossible! Absolutely impossible!"

The Fenrisians did not hesitate.

"Listen, Guilliman. I'd rather believe that Jonson missed an extermination order because he overslept than doubt my taste. Even the All-Father didn't say anything about the wine I put on the table. He drank it a little slower than I did."

"Did you consecrate that batch of wine?"

"..."

Leman Russ pretended he didn't hear what Lorgar said.

"I think Ruth's wine is good."

Conrad's voice came from the balcony. He was also holding a wine glass and tasting it with a sizzling sound. Corax, who was sitting next to him, was taking small sips.

"If you add some blood, it might taste fresher."

Night Haunter licked his teeth, then nudged his Raven brother.

"What do you say, Corax?"

"I think it's okay."

The Crow King smiled, and compared to before, his smile was no longer as difficult.

"This wine is very suitable for miners to refresh themselves while working underground."

"But you should only drink one sip."

The Crow King took another sip. His keen sense of smell sensed a lot of information wafting out from the rim of the cup along with the spicy smell, including alcohol concentration, color, acidity and other less obvious elements, as well as the various formulas that made up this wine: thirty-two different poisonous plants, twelve poisonous minerals, seven acidic animal bloods, and twenty-two lethal synthetic agents.

Ok……

There are also three different types of explosive bombs.

"..."

"I take back what I said before: for the sake of the workers' health, it is better to drink less."

"That's right."

Corax's words gave the Macragge man more confidence. He pointed at his brother and spoke to Leman Russ with all his boasting: For Guilliman, this kind of subjective consciousness [showing off] is really rare.

"Look, Ruth, if the topic of this meeting is limited to your fermented wheat juice, then in five minutes at most, this will become a public trial for you. But then again, I believe that since you contacted Morgan specifically and asked her to bring Luo Jia and me here, you must have something serious to discuss with us, right?"

"of course."

The Wolf King smiled.

"Who among us isn't gathered here for something serious?"

"You can't be here just to run errands, right?"

"..."

Guilliman's features twitched, and he looked like he wanted to drag his brother onto the duel stage.

After a moment, he managed a forced smile.

"You are right, that's it."

"Otherwise, it would be even more embarrassing if we brought a whole army here, but ended up sitting in low-Earth orbit for over a month doing nothing but drinking like a drunkard. Isn't that more embarrassing?"

【Pfft...】

Russ was fine, but Morgan was amused by this sentence. It was the first time she saw Guilliman so blatantly confronting someone: Jonson didn't count, because the hostility between Guilliman and Jonson had never stopped.

"I say, brothers."

Seeing that the two Primarchs were really going to set up a dueling arena on the spot, the weak voice of the Great Speaker interrupted: Luo Jia looked at his two blood relatives helplessly and revealed a gentle smile.

"I'm the one involved, right?"

"Is it really okay for you two to discuss these things in front of me?"

"..."

The two Primarchs were stunned for a moment, and then they laughed at the same time, as if they had put aside their past grudges.

"What are you thinking, Luo Jia?"

"We're not talking about you, we're talking about our own...business!"

"Yes! That's right! Business!"

Guilliman nodded hastily.

"I came here to support Ferrus's Gardenar campaign, but was temporarily summoned by the Emperor. I don't know how the battle on Ferrus would have gone without the assistance of my legion."

"He brought Fulgrim and a whole legion of the Emperor's Children: that can't be too bad."

Conrad twirled his fingers.

"Maybe in a while, you'll be able to see Akudona alive."

"That's it."

Luo Jia nodded.

"What about you, Conrad?"

"Me? I'm here on vacation."

Midnight Haunter gave his blood brother an amiable smile.

"After I led my legion on an expedition to the Ghoul Star Region, I felt that my leave as the legion commander was unlimited: the Emperor also thought that what I said made sense, and he decided to extend my leave until the day when I could muster up the courage to enter the Ghoul Star Region again."

"……Um?"

Before Lorgar could say anything, Leman Russ became interested.

"From what you said, you encountered something extraordinary in the Ghoul Star Region."

"of course."

Conrad licked his lips excitedly. "You can ask Morgan."

Everyone's eyes suddenly turned to the Spider Queen who was resting with her eyes closed, and Morgan was too lazy to even open his eyes, so he just picked a brother who was not present as a shield.

[I can't tell you for sure, but if you meet Jonson in the future, you can ask him: I only remember that after Jonson saw the video records of the Ghoul Star brought back by Conrad, he said seriously that he needed to bring all the strength of the First Legion to have the confidence to carry out an extermination expedition there.]

After these words were spoken, Guilliman and Lorgar had no reaction. Instead, Leman Russ's expression suddenly became solemn. After several seconds, he relaxed his expression and turned to look at Corax, who had the lowest presence.

"What about you, little brother? What are you doing here?"

【He came here to learn.】

Morgan smiled in response, and she opened her eyes when she felt herself getting better.

[He followed me, learning how to command the legion and how to survive in this emerging empire: this journey is already one of his final courses, and he will be reunited with his legion soon.]

"Are you in such a hurry?"

Guilliman frowned, more concerned about Corax than a normal person would have been.

"I mean: Corax has only been back in the Empire for a few years, right?"

"Time waits for no one, brother."

Konrad extended his paw and patted the Macragge's shoulder.

"If we wait a few more years, we can't wait until the Emperor returns to Terra before Corax officially takes over his Legion: that would be too awkward."

"Are you right, Luo Jia?"

The Night Haunter looked toward Lorgar, while the Great Bearer simply bowed his head in prayer.

"I have little to say about this, Brother Conrad. I am simply amazed that the God-Emperor is actually going to give up his work in the Great Crusade and return to Holy Terra: I had thought that he would stay with us until the end of the Great Crusade."

"I originally thought so too: but the All-Father obviously has his own thoughts."

The wolf king was drinking by himself.

"And this is why I called you here today, brothers."

He smiled, very bitterly, and then toasted Morgan.

"Truth be told, just as Corax must be reunited with his Legion before the Emperor's return to Terra, so too must I do something before that time comes, and Morgan will do it with me: which is why I have not asked her what it is."

Russ looked around at his brothers.

Morgan and Conrad, needless to say, already knew the whole thing, but one of them looked calm, half asleep, while the other had a hideous smile on his face that gave people a headache, and was writing and drawing on the balcony with his fingers dipped in a few drops of wine on the tip of his tongue.

Corax still had a stern face, but the curiosity in his pupils could not be suppressed: Russ liked this brother very much. He felt some similar auras from Corax. In some ways, they might be on the same path.

Equally sad.

As for Guilliman and Lorgar...

Ha, they are blissfully ignorant.

Let them continue to be happy.

The wolf king shook his head.

"The thing is, after I finish my work here, I will head to the northern edge of the galaxy to conduct a joint operation with Magnus's Thousand Sons Legion. Angron and Morgan will also be traveling with us."

"I will not hide anything from you, my brothers. This operation is an inspection of Magnus and Angron by the order of the All-Father. The inspection of Angron is just a routine matter, while the inspection of Magnus is a final assessment. His performance will determine whether I will formally sue Magnus to the All-Father at the large meeting held before the Emperor's departure for the serious problems he has committed in the field of psychic energy over the years."

"This is the will of the All-Father: believe me, the charges Magnus has to bear are definitely very serious, even for a Primarch, and what's worse is that I won't be the only accuser in that psychic meeting."

"Whether I appear or not, Mortarion will definitely take the stage."

"..."

As soon as these words were spoken, silence fell in the room for several seconds.

"Does it have to be this way, Ruth?"

Luo Jia frowned, a look of pity showing on his face.

"Magnus is a little... reckless."

"But his intentions were definitely not bad."

"I know, brother."

The Wolf King nodded.

"So I will make the decision whether to reprimand him at the meeting after observing the situation."

"After all, this is..."

“This is the safest option.”

Guilliman closed his eyes. He had figured out the whole situation.

"Since the Emperor will return to Terra after the meeting, our father will certainly not make a big fuss at this critical moment of power transfer: even if Magnus gets into trouble, at most he will be reprimanded, or even confined to his room."

"For a guy like him, this punishment is not painful at all."

"…Indeed."

Luo Jia also came to his senses.

"After all, the Divine Emperor is always merciful."

"And we all know that Magnus has no enthusiasm for the Great Crusade."

"He is really too lazy: he really fails to live up to the expectations that the Emperor has placed on him."

"..."

As soon as these words were spoken, the whole room fell into an inexplicable silence again.

"Anyway, this is the current state of affairs, brothers."

After a few seconds, Leman Russ reluctantly pulled the corners of his mouth.

"I also hope that Magnus can stand up to the All-Father's test, but I know that my idea is just wishful thinking: he has been doing his own thing for more than a hundred years, how can he change in such a short time?"

"That is to say, Magnus will definitely be reprimanded at the meeting."

"This is the will of the All-Father."

The wolf king opened his eyes and glanced at everyone present very seriously. The warning in his words could not be more obvious.

"Although the All-Father will allow Magnus to debate for himself, and will allow each of us to express our own opinions and vote, I hope everyone can understand one thing here: letting Magnus accept the punishment from the All-Father is the best outcome for him."

“Is this vote manipulation?”

Guilliman smiled, as if trying to liven up the atmosphere, but the Fenrisian, contrary to his usual behavior, shouted at him seriously.

"That's right, Robert!"

"I am delivering to you the command of the All-Father! This is a command!"

"Fuck! Damn! Orders!"

He gasped.

"Magnus must realize the mistakes he made, just as Lorgar accepted the teachings from the Emperor today: if you are doing it for his own good, you should let him accept a complete defeat at that meeting."

"Just be patient, Ruth."

Luo Jia reached out his hand to comfort his brother who was a little dizzy.

"It's not so bad, is it: maybe Magnus will pass the test?"

"I hope so."

The Wolf King sighed heavily, as if he had thought of something, and then looked at Conrad, who had not spoken for a long time, with some anticipation: Midnight Haunter looked at his brother, shook his head, and the light in the Wolf King's pupils dimmed.

"Forget it: I don't care what happens to that bastard in the end anyway."

He bared his teeth, then took another big gulp of the wine.

“What I care about is your attitude.”

"Especially your attitude, Morgan."

Having said that, the Fenrisians focused their attention on Morgan who was pretending to be asleep.

My attitude?

Morgan opened his eyes as well.

She laughed.

【What do you mean, Ruth? 】

[Are you trying to say that this meeting is not just aimed at Magnus, but uses Magnus as a starting point, extending to the attitude towards psionic power and think tanks, and thus extending the fire to me? ]

[If this is really the case, then I will consider my appeal. ]

"I certainly wouldn't do that."

The wolf king shook his head.

"But Mortarion, that may not be the case."

When talking about this person, all the Primarchs showed somewhat uncomfortable expressions.

"You see, Morgan: while Mortarion and I agree on the matter of accusing Magnus, we differ on more details: I only wish to admonish Magnus and stop him from making further folly, while Mortarion sincerely wishes to ban all matters related to psychic powers and the Warp from now on."

【You never advised him? 】

"Me? Persuade him?"

The Wolf King smiled.

"And then put myself against Mortarion?"

【I think so.】

Morgan shook his head.

So, this is why you asked me that weird question?

"That's right, Morgan."

The Wolf King lowered his body and let the wine in his cup spill onto the ground.

"Just like Mortarion and I were united in our fight against Magnus, but privately, we separated because of our attitudes toward psionics and the Librarian: he was more radical, and I was more conservative."

So, you are a conservative?

"……almost."

This time, Leman Russ did not evade the question.

"So by analogy, I also want to know your attitude towards this matter."

"After all, among the Primarchs, once the issue of psionics and the Librarian is mentioned, you and Magnus are the first two people who come to mind, with Sanguinius and Jaghatai Khan coming second. Magnus is undoubtedly a radical, so radical that he completely ignores the actual situation and may even harm the Empire."

"So, he, the radical, must be defeated now."

"And you, a conservative ..."

The Wolf King narrowed his eyes.

“What is your attitude towards this?”

【…】

【Speak clearly, Ruth.】

Morgan and her brother stared at each other, while the other four Primarchs present held their breath.

"Well, let's get this straight, bro."

The Wolf King smiled.

"The All-Father wants to know."

"You, Morgan, as a conservative among psychics, in this meeting..."

"Are you willing to stand on our side?"