Emperor's Bane

Chapter 661 There is a Cow Ahead
+You mean, Dorn and Alpharius started arguing within five minutes of meeting? +
"That's right, Father."

The Lord of Mankind chose to summon his descendants one by one on a balcony with almost no additional decorations, to communicate with them one last time or reach a compromise before leaving the Great Crusade and returning to Holy Terra and the "Great Cause" that he had always cared about.

The summons would be conveyed by the Custodes to all nineteen Primarchs, even Angron and Alpharius were no exception: the two hundred Custodes who were normally responsible for supervising Morgan were ordered to carry out this order. They withdrew fifty men and left the surveillance tower standing next to the Dawnbreaker camp.

Some might wonder whether it was sensible to leave only 150 men to oversee a powerful psyker Primarch and her Legion, but as conservatives among the Custodians, Morgan's supervisors knew very well that they could not play any military role in the face of the Primarch.

This bitter truth has been proven countless times in practice.

Their function was that of a torch: even the most powerful Primarch could not have wiped out the lives of more than a hundred Custodes without a sound, let alone they were not gathered in one place: as long as one colleague could survive, he could inform the whole world of the coming of betrayal.

With this base number as a guarantee, it is no big deal to draw out fifty people. They specially selected fifty of their colleagues with the best temper and the most patience to face the galaxy's famous grumpy giant babies.

And Horus was the first, as it should be: he had confirmed this fact before the Wolf God saw his genetic father with his own eyes.

The Emperor was waiting for him: no divine light or golden armor, only a father in a pale robe, facing a rattan table, preparing red wine for him and his son. The iron-gray atmosphere of Ullanor enveloped the Emperor's deep skin, making him look more earthly than ever before.

Only the Emperor awaited him: just as he had done on Cthonia.

This was a pure conversation between father and son. Even the Emperor's most trusted guards could only stay outside the marble door. Horus's personal guards were even more stuck at the bottom of the tower. The moment his footsteps broke through the door, Horus clearly felt that he was passing through the psychic barrier specially set up by the Emperor.

But to be honest, the Wolf Shepherd God simply loved this arrangement: he had forgotten the last time he and his father had a purely father-son conversation, the kind that involved neither war nor missions, just the two of them, father and son, talking about whatever came to mind, letting go of the burdens in their hearts in the atmosphere of freedom. It had been too long since such a moment appeared.

It was not Ullanor, nor was it Goron: the brief conversation during the war was far from meeting the standards in the mind of the Wolf God, and looking further ahead, there were the endless years of the Great Crusade, and he had not even boarded the Emperor's Vision a few times: perhaps only in those thirty years, when even Horus himself could hardly remember the details, did the Wolf God truly enjoy this kind of affection between father and son in his eyes.

Too short.

Thirty years is still too short.

Horus shook his head and in his heart despised his own greed. He knew that he was treated much better than his other brothers and he should not be greedy, but he just couldn't curb this desire which had almost become a physiological instinct. He couldn't curb it no matter what.

The wolf god spent his entire life drifting in this confrontation between emotion and reason.

But fortunately, his father could always understand his difficulties. When the Wolf God adjusted his mentality and sat down opposite the Emperor slightly awkwardly, the Lord of Mankind was still immersed in the scene below the balcony: the place where they were was the tower that would be at the core of the military parade in a few days.

The broad road that stretched to the horizon was widened again in front of the tower, wide enough for the legions to march side by side with the Titans. And in the following parade, the Emperor and the Primarch would stand side by side at the highest point of the tower, and billions of warriors would be inspected by them.

But they would not stand here, not on this balcony, in the tower's private quarters belonging to the Emperor, the least decorated area within: aside from a few double-headed eagles and valuable mementos, there were only thick walls, as if they could protect this god on earth.

Horus felt that it was impossible: he felt that it was impossible even for the Custodes.

However, the Wolf God was still very pleased to see that the first souvenir he gave to the Emperor a hundred years ago was placed in the most conspicuous position and was obviously well maintained: he followed the gaze of the Father of Genes and happened to see the camp closest to the tower. Wasn't that his Luna Wolves Legion?

It's not easy to get here.

It would take an entire continent to house the nineteen Astartes Legions and the mortal auxiliaries they each brought with them, so even standing at the highest point in all of Ullanor, Horus could not see many legion camps.

He only knew that several of his brothers in the Far East had arranged their legion camps at the farthest location from the Emperor, and that the camp of the Imperial Guards was located on the only way for these Far Eastern troops to reach the Parade Tower: but the latest news was about the Alpha Legion and the Imperial Fists, these two legions happened to have their camps very close to each other, staying away from each other's sight as if avoiding the plague.

To be more specific: it was the Alpha Legion that unilaterally chose to move.

+Just because they had a fight? +

"In fact, I think there are some fundamental differences between the two of them."

Horus took the red wine from the Emperor: he was not sure when his genetic father began to like this drink. This drink with a softer taste should be suitable for Sanguinius or Morgan, as the relationship between these two blood relatives and the Emperor should not be very good.

Oh, by the way, he should also take the time to visit Morgan: it would be best to find out what she talked about with the Emperor, and even if Morgan kept her mouth shut, given the influence the Spider Queen had shown in the [Jonson Faction], it would be necessary for Horus to talk to her.

Otherwise, should he go to Zhuang Sen, the stone lion, to exchange interests?

＋What are they arguing about? ＋

The Emperor leaned back on the stone chair.

Horus was silent for a moment. He coughed awkwardly at first, then laughed.

"I have to admit to you that this is partly my fault, Father."

+ Just say it: If you have a problem, then I have a problem too. After all, I am the one who brought you guys into this world. +
"The thing is this: when Alpharius just returned, he expressed his desire to participate in the Ullanor Campaign with me. I suggested that he should complete the running-in with his own legion before participating in the Ullanor Expedition. Alpharius agreed with my suggestion, but he insisted on leading the army alone."

＋What happened next? ＋
"Then, he chose to lead his army alone to pacify the Akharis aliens in the Solar Sector. They are also called Bone Drinkers. They are a species of alien fungi that gain self-awareness by parasitizing other organisms. They often destroy an entire imperial world and make all the human residents of that world their living food and temporary hosts. They then control the spacecraft to travel to the next world."

＋It is often difficult to completely exterminate alien species like this.＋
"Yes, the Space Wolves, the Emperor's Children, and the White Scars have all tried to completely eliminate this alien in the past few decades, but ultimately failed: although their combat effectiveness is not strong, their unique reproductive ability makes them difficult to exterminate."

＋The Bone Drinker. ＋
The Emperor whispered the name.

＋I think I have heard of this word.＋
"Should it be...Morgan?"

Horus leaned forward and tentatively reminded his father.

"Wasn't there a time when my sister was revered as a Soul Drinker?"

"But no more: Terra prefers to call her the Goddess of Light."

＋Ah...indeed. ＋
The Emperor nodded, but Horus was still grumbling in his heart: I wonder if it was his illusion, he always felt that his father's memory seemed to have deteriorated recently? The former Lord of Mankind could easily recall a trivial matter from hundreds of years ago.

There was a moment of silent silence, and the Wolf Shepherd God shook his head to dispel the new distracting thoughts.

He continued his story.

"When Alpharius and his legion discovered the whereabouts of this alien civilization, he did not rush to launch an attack. Instead, he first developed an artificial virus specifically targeting this alien creature with the biological sages of the Mechanicus. At the same time, he sent out a large number of agents and spies."

+Hasn't the legions before him thought of this solution? +
"My brothers generally have a... um..." attitude towards this poisoning tactic.

＋Keep going. ＋
"These spies successfully found a human world that was being enslaved by this alien civilization: in order to avoid destruction, the rulers of this world chose to provide a certain population to the Bone Drinkers civilization, and Alpharius's agents, through lurking, obtained the exact time when the Bone Drinkers would enjoy these tributes."

"Just as the aliens gathered to enjoy the tribute they had received, Alpharius launched a whirlwind torpedo at this world, successfully destroying most of the Bone Drinker aliens. Although the remaining few remnants managed to escape and fled to the only imperial world in the nearby space that could still provide them with food, they did not find out until they landed there that the residents there had been injected with an artificial virus that was enough to kill this alien species by Alpharius in advance."

"And reaching this world had consumed the last energy reserves of the ships controlled by the Bone Drinker civilization. These aliens eventually starved to death or were poisoned in the trap set by Alpharius. It can be confirmed that the civilization was completely exterminated. The Empire also lost two civilized worlds."

+Will the injection of this artificial virus be fatal to mortals? +
“Not completely, but the fatality rate is high.”

"And Alpharius said that this is just a step to select the strongest among them."

＋Let me think: Is this last point what makes Don unhappy? ＋
"Yes, he thought that Alpharius could have used normal means to eliminate the remnants of the Bone Drinkers, instead of using another world as bait. But Alpharius countered that both the Space Wolves and the Emperor's Children had used normal means before, but failed to achieve the goal of exterminating the other side. If the remnants of the Bone Drinkers escaped, they would further poison more Imperial worlds."

+So: Their dispute is limited to the world where the virus was released? +

"Yes."

The Wolf Shepherd God spread his hands.

"After all, the first world chose to succumb to the alien civilization even though it had sworn allegiance to the Empire. According to the law, their entire world is guilty: Alpharius just enforced it too harshly, but he did not violate the laws of the Empire."

The Lord of Mankind did not speak.

+According to you, the two of them had a falling out over this matter? +
"Yes."

When this was mentioned, the Wolf God felt a pain between his brows.

"This is not the first time that Dorn has lost his temper because he disagrees with someone else's tactics. In fact, more than a hundred years ago, he and Jonson had an almost identical conflict, and Fulgrim and I were present at the time."

"However, Jonson's temper was more straightforward than Alpharius's. They each sent out a champion swordsman to fight a duel about the honor of the Primarch. After Jonson won, the matter was left unresolved."

＋What about Alpharius?＋
"Alpharius left immediately after hearing Dorn's accusations. He stated that Dorn did not understand flexible tactics at all. Dorn also swore in front of us: If Alpharius continued to use this tactic that squandered the lives of the citizens of the Empire, the Imperial Fists would never fight alongside them."

＋So: Didn’t you try to mediate the conflict between them? ＋

"I have."

The wolf-shepherd god lowered his head in shame.

"But I failed, father: Dorn would not budge on this matter."

"I'm so sorry, father."

"I disappoint you."

＋Ah, that's okay. ＋
＋This is going to be difficult, Horus.＋
The emperor didn't care much about it, he even made a joke about it.

＋In fact, over the years, I have realized how difficult it is to mediate conflicts between brothers: even the best people at this often fail to do so, or simply abandon their responsibilities. ＋
＋It’s a real headache: isn’t it? ＋
"..."

The Wolf God rarely responded to his beloved father's inquiry, his words buzzing with the Emperor's unintentional words.

The person who is best at reconciling conflicts among the Primarchs?

His dear genetic father should be: talking about him, right?

Although this sentence doesn't sound like it is talking about him.

And even speaking of him: the latter evaluation doesn't sound very nice.

……

what happened?

Horus blinked: He suddenly felt that this long-lost conversation between father and son seemed to have changed a little without him noticing.

He did not realize it at first, but now thinking about it carefully: whether it was the words uttered by the Emperor that he could not understand (this had never happened before), or some of the Emperor's unintentional little movements and habits, they all seemed to be somewhat different from the beautiful moments in the memory of the Wolf God, just like a hateful stain on a flawless white shirt.

It's like... it's like the Emperor has gotten used to having heart-to-heart talks with another person over the years.

Unbeknownst to the Wolf-Lord, the Emperor had entrusted the secrets of His heart, such as the questions that constantly troubled Him concerning the various Primarchs, to someone else: to another person besides Himself.

And he didn't even know about it...

"..."

But...but this...

This……

……

Hi!
how can that be!

After being stunned for a moment, the Wolf God suddenly and loudly denied himself in his heart.

He tried hard to laugh.

Horus would not admit that his indestructible heart, the heart that had never hesitated for a moment even when facing the war between Goron and Ullanor, actually tightened in the previous moment: just because of the absurd conclusion he had deduced.

He is indeed not good at reasoning.

The next moment, the indisputable fact helped the Wolf God to overcome himself: in this galaxy, who could replace the father-son relationship between him and the Emperor? Who else could sit down with the Emperor like Horus did and carefully discuss some profound and difficult topics about other Primarch brothers, or even the entire Great Crusade and the direction of the Empire?

Who can do it!
Who dares to do it!
There won’t be any in another hundred years!

Horus's eyes casually swept across the wine glass held in his palm. There were still ripples on the pure red water. The Primarch calmed his mind and ignored the fierce look remaining in his pupils.

The Emperor also ignored it.

＋However: You should really improve your skills in this area. ＋
The Emperor seemed to remember something.

+ Only in this way can I trust you with the entire Great Crusade.

He smiled, as if he was just explaining a trivial matter.

"..."

"!!!"

Without even a moment's pause for the mixed feelings that had come before, the next thing that arrived on the battlefield was Horus's stunned expression.

"Father...Father..."

The wolf god froze in place, with no time to adjust the position of his facial features. He could only feel the pain behind his eyes widening. Horus' sweat flowed down his smooth forehead, bypassed his stiff nose and lips, and dripped all the way to his lips and teeth that could not close. When it went down his throat into his stomach, the wolf god's voice was barely squeezed out.

It was very light and weak. There was no expected sense of ecstasy and glory. Just like a child waiting for recognition, he timidly asked his father: even an unintentional breeze seemed to be able to blow the voice away. It was not until the emperor nodded again that he poured confidence into the body of the Wolf God.

+That's right. +
The radiant glory of the Lord of Mankind made Horus gradually straighten his chest.

＋Horus, my child.＋
+When the idea of ​​a Warmaster first came into my mind, it was already yours: I needed my most capable and gifted son to help me oversee the rest of the Great Crusade so that I could return to Holy Terra, and you, of all people, were the only one who could take on such a task. +
+You are the Warmaster, the heir to the crown that I wear. +
"But...but..."

The wolf-god pursed his lips. He had imagined this scene countless times before, but when the surprise really came, Horus still found himself unprepared. He could only lick his lips continuously, but found that it was still terribly dry: even though the Primarch's powerful heart had already accepted the Warmaster's crown crowned on his head, what surprised Horus was that his first reaction was not to let ecstasy fill his soul.

Rather: something very complicated.

Too complex to describe

Horus blinked his eyes, and tried desperately to steady his mind, ruminating on the emotions in his head like a cow: the Emperor's recognition did make him ecstatic, but behind the ecstasy, there were two complex elements.

There was a sense of comfort, the kind of comfort that comes from being able to let out a long sigh of relief after being on edge for such a long time. It was the satisfaction after filling the deep pit of insecurity: he finally got this position, and all the self-deception and panic before this finally disappeared at this moment.

He won.

What follows is fear and confusion about the future.

They are equally important: but fear takes priority over confusion.

after all……

"What about...Jonson?"

The newly minted Warmaster was obsessed with this question.

"My votes..."

+Votes? +

The Emperor laughed, as if amused by something ridiculous, but when he noticed the seriousness in Horus' pupils, the Lord of Mankind restrained his smile. He kept coughing softly in his throat, urging his brain to come up with a plausible reason.

+Votes: You seem to have forgotten that your father also has one vote. +
＋And I think the ticket in my hand should be more important. ＋
"..."

Horus blinked.

He was not a fool, but he still accepted this reason very reluctantly.

"But over there, Jonson..."

＋You can talk to him. ＋
The Emperor waved his hand, and his heroic look calmed Horus down.

+ In fact, you should have talked to Jonson back in Ullanor: then you would have found that Jonson recognized your ability and personality charm, and he was willing to admit that you won the competition for the Warmaster. +
"It was not easy for him: did you give him any compensation?"

This question silenced the Emperor.

＋Ah... a long time ago. ＋
"That's it."

Horus didn't care.

Compared to Jonson, the Wolf God was paying attention to another person: the powerful character who truly controlled the entire [Jonson faction], reached an offensive and defensive alliance with Guilliman, and was able to temporarily win over so many brothers.

"What about Morgan?"

Horus didn't notice the hint of nervousness in his voice.

"Can she accept the Warmaster's defeat?"

The Emperor blinked: a glimmer of inspiration appeared in his mind.

＋Then why do you think Morgan and I took the same shuttle? ＋

＋Some things have been discussed. ＋
"Father……"

The wolf god sniffed, but found that his nasal sound seemed a little heavy. It was the remnant of tears squeezed into his eye sockets, and the expression of the emotion called emotion in his body. Horus barely controlled the muscles on his cheeks, and he had to purse his lips desperately to avoid uttering more intermittent and embarrassing sentences.

"I...I really am..."

+Hear me out, my son. +
The Emperor leaned forward, smiled and patted Horus on the shoulder, signaling Horus not to lose his composure.

＋During the negotiations with Morgan, I had to make some compromises, and not all final terms will be in your favor: I hope you can be mentally prepared for the necessary changes. ＋
"compromise?"

Horus paid no attention to the words that were "unfavorable" to him.

"You actually... compromised?"

+A stopgap measure. +
The emperor smiled helplessly.

+To paraphrase Morgan: You don't want Horus to lose his position as Warmaster, do you? +

"..."

The Wolf Shepherd God's breathing became heavier.

+In short, I want to give you the rights of a true warmaster, but I'm afraid my wish will be greatly reduced under the demands of Morgan and her companions. +
"What do you mean?"

The Wolf Shepherd God finally regained his thinking ability, which he was so proud of.

+ Meaning: You may never be able to command them like I do, you can only communicate with your brothers in private through compromise and daily authority, so that they will voluntarily obey your orders, or accept your coordination, and be more like the elder brother of all the Primarchs than the Warmaster. +
＋Morgan called this the three rules of conduct. ＋
＋She really intends to set some terms that everyone must abide by. ＋
"That's it..."

Horus nodded.

No matter what it was on the surface: the Wolf God was actually more relaxed than the Emperor thought. He listened carefully, and then thought about it quickly, but found that this condition was far more difficult than he had imagined...

Better?
hiss……

Horus laughed, and he comforted his father with his smile.

"Don't worry, father."

This time, it was the Wolf God's turn to pat the Emperor on the shoulder.

"There's no need to feel sad."

"I think: I am more willing to accept this [Three Rules] than you think."

(End of this chapter)