Emperor's Bane

Chapter 658 Opposition Party (1/2)

To be fair, Morgan has never been the kind of person who enjoys watching the fun and will abandon long-term interests for a moment of humor: she just simply but coincidentally likes to disobey her wise and powerful genetic father.

Especially in public places.

The reason behind this was nothing more than protecting the interests of herself and her small group: Morgan had personally experienced the unfathomable bottom line of the Lord of Mankind, and she knew that if certain conditions that had only been negotiated in private were not put on the table in a timely manner, the Emperor would definitely not mind playing crazy and shamelessly renege on the existing agreement.

For example, when the Lord of Mankind decided to establish the Warmaster, he privately promised Morgan that he would give her the power to act independently of the Warmaster's rule. In the decades of cooperation that followed, this power was used as a mortgage reward and promised to several Primarchs close to Morgan.

Although they were still in the dark, Morgan did not want the fruits of her hard work to be in danger of being overturned by the Emperor: publicly challenging the Emperor and Horus was undoubtedly an option.

Anyway, she had seen through it long ago. The relationship between the Emperor and a Primarch like her was just that of a hunter and a hound: as long as the hound could still bring back prey, the Lord of Mankind would not do anything to her even if she did some bad things like destroying the house, such as embarrassing the Emperor in public.

Which Primarch has never been impulsive?
Why should she be a saint?
And Horus is even less to be feared.

In a sense, the Wolf God and Morgan are the same kind of people, so the Spider Queen is well aware of Horus's weakness: this Sagittarius, who is accustomed to pleasing almost every blood brother in order to demonstrate his status as the boss, has neither the ability nor the courage to confront her in public.

Quite the contrary: the Wolf God had to take the opportunity to show his magnanimity in front of the Emperor and all his brothers, after Morgan slightly pricked his skin with his words, Horus was not angry at all. Instead, he quickly put on a big smile after coming to his senses.

As for the remnant of anger in his pupils, perhaps only Morgan could see it.

But she didn't need to pay attention to that, as the Wolf God had not yet been able to threaten her. The Spider Queen only needed to stand quietly beside the Emperor, savoring the dissatisfaction churning in the Emperor's heart, while listening with a smile to how Horus, who was encouraging her to remain calm, took the initiative to help her complete the next words.

Unimaginable pleasure was struggling wildly in the Spider Queen's heart. Although it would be ruthlessly burned out by the Emperor's Holy Flame which was extremely close the moment it emerged, this was also the reason why Morgan dared to indulge in pleasure here.

It would be a waste not to fleece the emperor.

"Morgan is right, Father."

The Wolf God adjusted his mentality much faster than the Spider Queen expected. After hearing Morgan's words, he stopped instantly. A trace of gloom flashed across his face, but he quickly hid it: If it weren't for the few flashes of dissatisfaction in the corners of his eyes, Morgan would probably really believe the open-mindedness of this Cthunia brother in the rumors.

Of course, open-mindedness may be true: just when it doesn't concern the emperor.

Afterwards, in front of everyone, Horus bowed slightly to the Emperor. There was no dissatisfaction in his tone any longer. His sincere and humble appearance made the Lord of Mankind nod with satisfaction. Even when he glanced at Morgan, the Wolf God could straighten his lips and nodded to Morgan with a firm expression, as if he was thanking the Spider Queen for reminding him in time.

Morgan nodded indifferently, and quietly raised his assessment of the threat posed by Horus to a higher level.

She watched as Horus turned with a determined gaze, looking at each of the gene-brothers present, and stretched out his arms, skillfully transforming his frustration moments before into a sense of ambition at the moment: Horus' voice was loud and long, as if he had come up with the idea.

"Brothers, I thank you for your silent recognition of me. But this time, I absolutely cannot monopolize the throne of "First", because the Battle of Ullanor was a great miracle in which each of us participated. It was the unity of all brothers, not the heroism of any individual, that shattered the Orc Empire."

"Perhaps someone will attribute the credit for the fall of the Orc Empire to me and my Legion. I am grateful for this trust, but I dare not take it all for myself: Although the Moon Wolves did pay a huge sacrifice, we all know that I am not the only victim. There is also a brother and his Legion. Their figures may be unknown, but their achievements on Ullanor are destined to last forever!"

After saying that, Horus walked quickly towards the wild golden color in the crowd. The primarchs were either immersed in his simple speech or watching the sudden change with raised eyebrows. They tacitly made way for a passage, and a moment later, the wolf shepherd god stood in front of the lion.

"Jonson, my brother."

The Wolf God's tone was gentle, but even the bystanders standing farthest away could hear it clearly. He first spread his arms, as if wanting to hug Jonson, but the Caliban people's usual coldness and ruthlessness made this plan abort: Horus could only pat Jonson's shoulder with one hand and point the other hand in the direction of the Emperor and Morgan.

“Come with me: Heroic sacrifices deserve to be appreciated.”

Jonson said nothing. Although he stood like a statue, Morgan, who knew him well, could still sense some of the lion's movements even from a distance. In fact, before Horus approached, Jonson's senses were already searching around him, looking for a blood brother who could provide him with help or at least give him some advice.

The lion was much more surprised than he appeared to be: after all, Horus's personal charm was unquestionable, and he did have a sincere friendship for all his brothers. When the two were mixed together, even a figure like Jonson would find it difficult to resist the Wolf God's cordial invitation from the bottom of his heart.

He felt he needed help.

Unfortunately, Morgan was out of reach, Guilliman was not trustworthy, and Leman Russ and Corax were not capable enough. As for Conrad, the only one who could be counted on, he had quietly left at some point and was now watching with relish a few meters away.

Johnson was silent.

His pupils shrank slightly, and his restrained breath made the air around him freeze, attracting everyone's attention: but Horus' smile was not affected at all, and the fire of his passion seemed to never go out. After a moment, even the lion had to compromise.

“It’s just our responsibility.”

Before taking another step, the lion gave a rather tough rebuttal.

"A soldier fulfills his duty: that is an honor in itself, there is no need to add anything extra."

“But it’s more than that.”

Horus added quickly.

"We all know how much effort and hard work the Dark Angels have put in on various invisible fronts over the years. Perhaps the Empire is destined to be unable to give you all the rewards, but at least this time, we should make up for it: the Galaxy has not yet given the Dark Angels the honor they deserve."

"I'm glad you think so."

Horus's last words reminded Jonson of something, and a smile immediately appeared on the lion's face. Contrary to his previous attitude, he readily accepted Horus' invitation. The two Primarchs came before the Emperor side by side like the closest of brothers.

+The chief minister of Ullanor. +
The Lord of Mankind nodded, his voice firmer than his stern face.

+ Horus, my wolf-herder, and Jonson, my beast-hunter: Ullanor's greatest feats belong to your legions. +
Horus and Jonson stood side by side, each to the Emperor's left and right. The Lord of Mankind patted them on the shoulders, praising them both equally.

And the Primarchs watched: the wisest had understood it all.

"So, he chose both of them?"

The air was filled with the ever-angry whispers of the Lord of Death.

"It's not that I can't stand it..."

"At least they are qualified." The Wolf King responded from the side. Like his brothers, he was looking at the two people in front of the Emperor with complicated eyes.

That's how it should be, isn't it?

The whispers of his heart could not reach the Emperor, and the only voices the Lord of Mankind could hear were those of his two sons: two men he had chosen personally to represent all the Primarchs and indeed the entire Great Crusade.

"All for you, father."

“Just another necessary win.”

The voices of the Primarchs also sounded at the same time.

+I can assure you here that you will all get the honor you deserve.

The Emperor smiled.

＋Maybe great. ＋
These words were given to Horus.

＋Perhaps detached. ＋
This one is directed to Jonson.

＋But honor is honor, it is like victory and sacrifice: every victory is glorious, every sacrifice is great, there is no difference between big and small, and no one is necessary. ＋
The next sentence was in a low tone.

+ You all have the ability to be called the leader of your peers among my descendants. This will not change because of a loss of honor, nor will it be ranked in order of seniority because of the gains and losses of a certain position: I will give the most suitable honor to the most suitable person. Promise me not to shake the nobleness in your hearts for this. +
+ I am proud of your nobleness: because this is the only miracle that I cannot control. +
After saying this, before the two Primarchs could say anything, the Emperor patted his descendants on the shoulders one by one.

First, Horus.

"The one I trust most."

It's Jonson again.

"My most loyal."

+ I guess I can count on your resolve as always: just as I have for the past century, right? +

The words fell lightly, but they were heavier than a heavy golden lock. The two Primarchs bowed their heads humbly, emotions brewing in their pupils that Morgan could not detect. But no matter what Horus and Jonson were thinking, when the Emperor uttered these words, when the Lord of Mankind added a hint of earnestness to his voice, the response of any Primarch, even someone like Jaghatai Khan or Angron, could only be the same words.

"I will guarantee this with my life and soul, Father!"

"If I violate it, let everything I own be torn into pieces by this galaxy!"

Horus' voice was low, as if he was afraid of scaring his father, but the firmness in his tone was enough to move Dorn: Morgan silently watched Horus' pupils, she saw too many things in them, so much that she began to doubt the reasoning she had believed in for a long time.

Such a person: is there really any possibility that he would betray the Emperor?

Morgan couldn't figure it out, and she didn't have time to analyze it properly, because although Jonson's reaction was a little slower than Horus', his steady attitude seemed more sincere: if it weren't for the fact that this assurance was so short that it was suspicious.

"I will, Father."

The lion nodded, as if that was all that existed between him and the Emperor.

enough.

＋No need for guarantees. ＋
The emperor withdrew his hand, and there was a rare hint of tenderness in his voice after being touched.

＋Because I have never doubted that my greatest concern is your comfort and thoughts after I return. ＋
After saying this, the Lord of Mankind did not intend to give his two sons another chance to show their loyalty: Horus obviously wanted to do so.

+No need to say it here, I will find time to talk to you privately: now, let your brothers take over the stage. +
"Your will, Father."

Horus smiled, and his reaction speed was obviously faster than that of Jonson next to him: the wolf god smiled at the lion as well. He seemed to want to invite Jonson to go with him, but the Caliban people caught the movement in Morgan's pupils with the corner of their eyes.

When Jonson looked over, Morgan's eyes drifted in the opposite direction of Horus.

Jonson understood, though he had no idea why it was necessary.

But after a long period of clear division of labor, Zhuangsen chose to unconditionally trust the judgment given to him by Morgan on this issue, and soon used his own means to complete the hint that Morgan had just given: he first nodded to Horus in response, and then came to the right hand side of the Emperor on his own, stood with his sword, and stood there like a guard.

Seeing this scene, Horus had to stay on the left hand side of the Emperor. He was happy about it, but such a scene made the Lord of Mankind's eyelids twitch: the Emperor had realized what would happen next.

Horus soon realized it, but apart from his expression changing slightly and his pupils floating back and forth in the haze, he seemed unable to do anything more.

Unlike the Emperor: At least Morgan can be questioned in a private channel.

＋This is what you want. ＋
There wasn't even a question mark in the sentence, and the Spider Queen didn't even bother to put on her mask.

[As an emperor, you should always listen to the opinions of all your subjects, right? ]

+ I have listened to you: you represent them, there is no doubt about that. +
[If you don't let them come to you one by one to confirm, how can you be sure that I represent them without any doubt? ]

After saying this, without waiting for the emperor's response, Morgan's gaze drifted off into the distance.

What was waiting for her was the Midnight Haunter's brilliant smile, indicating that everything was ready.

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There will be another update later

(End of this chapter)