Emperor's Bane

Chapter 744 An Era of Peace
"Do you know what the most popular search term has been in the entire Macragge network environment in the past few weeks: what all Macragge people, and even all Ultramar people, are discussing and arguing about?"

The huge body was hunched over beside the coffee table, and the Lord of Macragge, with his back bent and arms curled, was absent-mindedly fiddling with the fork covered in sauce in his hand: compared to his loss of composure a few minutes ago, the Primarch had now adjusted his breath.

But even so, some people were clearly not satisfied.

"Robert! What are you doing?"

A plate of perfectly good noodles was casually rolled up by a silver fork, and then abandoned in mid-air by the diner who was always in a state of thinking. It gradually became colder by the second until it clumped together. Then, the pair of aqua-blue eyes that reacted stretched it towards the table with disgust.

A press, a wipe, a scrape, a wipe, and then rubbing the edge of the plate with the tip of a fork, leaving a tattered, dead body on the snow-white tablecloth, reflected between the brows of the Mother of the Primitive, which were almost squeezed together.

"If you want to eat, eat properly. Don't play with your food like a child."

Ms. Yuton's voice carried an accusatory tone that only a mother could have, one that did not make people feel resentful at all. Her withered body was leaning forward straight, and the backs of her hands crossed on her knees revealed her skeleton and blue blood vessels clearly. Her simply groomed face was filled with wrinkles that could not be concealed.

She was very old, so old that she had long surpassed the physiological limits of human beings: Lady Jotun was perhaps the same age as the Great Crusade, which was gradually declining. Whenever she had to undergo life-extending surgery, it was the most tense moment in Guilliman's life.

There was nothing wrong with that: what son could remain calm as his mother was taken to even the most prestigious operating room? The Primarch didn't think he could do that anyway.

But thankfully, Macragge's medical system did not disappoint Guilliman's massive annual investment of resources: when the Primarch was already over 130 years old, he could still eat the meal prepared by Lady Euden himself on a depressed night and hear her scolding, then everything before was worth it.

Although, this did not change the Primarch's embarrassment in front of his angry mother: even as powerful as the Lord of Macragge, he could only lower his head under the cold brow of Lady Euden, and defend himself awkwardly while stabbing the artichokes on the plate.

"It's all Conrad's fault... He's always fiddling with his plate in front of me."

"Yes! You blame others. Why don't you look for the problem in yourself?"

Yuton obviously didn't buy it.

"I have met Conrad many times. He is such a good child. He is not only obedient but also polite. He always brings me gifts when he visits Macragge. Just look at how worry-free his parent Morgan is on a daily basis."

"..."

Guilliman actually wanted to remind his mother that Morgan and Conrad did not seem to be guardians and wards...

Oh...it seems like there's nothing wrong with that?

The Primarch held his forehead: he clearly felt that his thinking was becoming sluggish, and the midnight snack in front of him, which he had been eating since he was a child, now did not arouse any interest in him.

This is too bad.

Guilliman forced a mouthful of paste, whose mixture had been prepared for him for a long time, down his throat, and naturally felt the gaze from Lady Euden, which was gradually getting hotter: in order to avoid further scolding, the Primarch decided to change the subject.

"My descendants, what reason did they use to invite you here?"

"To determine whether the ruler of the Five Hundred Worlds intends to replace Magnus and become the most stupid of the Primarchs by [starving himself to death].

Guilliman smiled: he didn't even bother trying to defend what was left of Magnus's reputation before his mother.

"My hunger strike worries them?"

"That's not the case, but the food you wasted in the past few weeks will make the outside world begin to suspect that I am not conspiring with the Ultramarines to embezzle their Primarch's food subsidies."

Lady Euton glanced at Guilliman's rough hands and found that even his nails had grown to an unacceptable length because they had not been trimmed for a long time: a combined element of anger and heartache filled her chest, and even the Primarch had to temporarily avoid the edge.

But at the same time, the current Mother of the Primarch is also full of confusion.

"Honestly, Robert: You are a different person now than you were when you were a kid."

"..."

The nagging fork stopped.

"What's different?"

"You make me confused."

Lady Euton's eyes involuntarily glanced in the direction of the Thinker and the desk: during the Primarch's short childhood, that was his favorite place to stay. Watching his adoptive father Connor working there was Guilliman's way of relaxing unlike other children.

"Compared to before, I always feel that you are torn now."

"Tear?"

The Primarch chewed on the word.

"You mean to say: I don't mean it?"

"indeed."

Euden nodded, his eyes noting the tear marks beneath the Primarch's brow.

"Honestly, Robert, before I walked into the room, I really didn't expect you to cry in front of me. Although it was just a brief sob or two, it was a rare experience for you."

"Remember: when Connor was in trouble, you were as strong as steel."

"Because this is a different time, and that is a different time."

The Primarch dropped his fork.

"At that time, although my heart was filled with sadness, it was more filled with rage, because I knew exactly what had happened, and I knew exactly who was responsible for this tragedy. The enemy was clear, so the desire for revenge was also strong, leaving no room for confusion."

"But now, the situation is different. I don't know who I should hate, and I don't know who I should vent my anger on: I'm not even sure whether I should accumulate anger in my heart for this obvious tragedy, because this time, I can't find the real murderer."

"Whether it's us or Terra, we seem to be the driving force behind the current situation."

"So... you're confused?"

Euden nodded. In fact, she did not quite understand Guilliman's words, nor did she agree with his ideas from the bottom of her heart, but as the mother who raised this Primarch, Lady Euden knew very well that what the Lord of Macragge needed now was not a debate over every penny, but to express all the thoughts in his heart.

We’ll talk about right and wrong later.

"Yes."

Guilliman simply slumped in his chair.

“I don’t even know what to do.”

"Really?"

Euden began to clear the plates, clearly disagreeing with the Primarch's words.

"You said you didn't know what to do, you said you were at a loss? But, since the outbreak of the Badab Crisis, Robert, my child, every action you took has been very accurate and deadly: you locked yourself up, but you still ensured that the Five Hundred Worlds could exert almost all of their combat power."

"Honestly, this is very..."

"You don't mean what you say."

The Primarch uttered the word a second time, a bitter smile playing on his lips.

"Yeah, I'm always like this, I say one thing and do another."

"In my heart, no matter how much I sob, I am at a loss. But on the surface, the skills of weighing the pros and cons and many political instincts have long been formed into muscle memory. Regardless of my thoughts, I will subconsciously execute them: as if my rationality and sensibility are separated."

"My heart was screaming, telling me not to be an enemy of Terra, but the day I received Badab's distress signal, I immediately decided to support them with all my strength, because I had to prove to outsiders that every covenant I signed was genuine. This self-evident answer overcame my inner thoughts."

"But it..."

"But it's not all rational?"

Euden laughed.

"Robert, when you ordered to support Badab at all costs, you were actually still angry in your heart, right? You knew that you couldn't make a big deal out of it, but your emotions were also urging you to take revenge on Terra, especially after the loss on Nikaea."

"..."

"Yes."

The Primarch raised his head and looked at the Ultramarines flag hanging on the wall.

"Now that I think about it, I did give that order out of personal impulse."

"But, how should I put it: I just lost a large number of elite warriors on Nikaia, and even the right to pursue the truth was denied. But in the next moment, the Holy Terra that prevented me from clearing the name of my children has reached out again and extended their claws to my allies."

"No matter how you look at it, this looks like a conspiracy against us."

"So, I immediately gave the order for a full-scale counterattack."

"But now I think about it, maybe this really is a black swan event."

“But we can’t turn back.”

The Primarch crossed his hands and twisted his ten fingers together fiercely.

"This is simple political common sense. The bigger the Badab crisis gets, the more we cannot openly back down. Otherwise, not only will the prestige of the Five Hundred Worlds be damaged, but the political credit we have worked so hard to build will also collapse overnight. Who would entrust their lives to a leader who can't protect himself?"

"Unless the lord himself is a bandit."

"By that time, I'm afraid even the Five Hundred Worlds will be shaken."

"So, you have been actively dispatching troops to the Badab front?"

“This is just superficial work.”

Guilliman sighed.

"Honestly, Ms. Euton, I really don't want to make a big deal out of this. I'm even afraid of the consequences of such a stalemate. But no matter how much I struggle in my heart, I have to pursue another plan on the surface: I must maintain a tough attitude and confront Holy Terra face to face, no matter how much I want a peaceful solution in my heart."

Lady Euton said nothing. She finally understood why her son shed tears, which was quite rare: even the Primarch might find it difficult to bear the mentality of going against his will and watching himself push the development of things into an abyss.
"You don't need to blame yourself so much, kid."

After a long silence, Euden slowly walked up to Guilliman and stroked his shoulder patiently.

"This is the consensus of the five hundred worlds: you are only responding to the expectations of your people."

"Hahaha……"

The Primarch laughed, and his voice frightened Lady Euden.

"expect?"

"Do you really think so?"

The Primarch pointed at the Thinker.

"Ms. Yuton, these days, I have never let go of my responsibilities. I will also carefully screen and check the real-time data from 500 countries around the world. Do you remember the question I just asked you?"

"What has been the most discussed topic among the Macragge people since the crisis began?"

"It's Badab."

Euden answered firmly.

“Now even the kids at school are chanting to stay tough on Tyra.”

"Yes: but what do they know?"

The primarch nodded.

"Do you know what the second most searched term is among all the search engines in Macragge, second only to Badab?"

"I'm asking: What exactly is Badab Prime?"

"Where exactly is it?"

"What does it have to do with the Five Hundred Worlds?"

"Why does Holy Terra want to collect taxes from Badab Prime?"

"Also: What is Terra?"

"The search volume for these terms is almost the same as the search volume for Badab Crisis."

"..."

"Got it, ma'am?"

Looking at his silent adoptive mother, the Primarch simply stood up silently and walked slowly to the floor-to-ceiling window. The bright lights of the Macragge city area were gradually disappearing as most people fell asleep. The streets were still filled with the mess left by the demonstrations against Holy Terra during the day.

“They were chanting slogans, but they didn’t even know what was going on.”

"They are just shouting slogans."

"Follow those leaders and shout slogans that they think are correct."

“And then say, this is public opinion.”

"Can such public opinion really be regarded as the unanimous will of the five hundred worlds?"

Before Lady Euton could reply, the Primarch himself shook his head.

"It really is."

“That’s really what they think.”

"But in a dozen days, maybe they will have a different idea."

"How could I possibly go against Holy Terra for such public opinion?"

"But I have to do this. My political instinct is pushing me forward. No matter how my heart screams, I must succumb to my nature of weighing the pros and cons: I must give aid to Badab against my will, and I must go against Holy Terra in fear."

"I had to face things that only happened in my worst nightmares."

"..." The Primarch turned his head, his face completely obscured in shadow.

"Under my rule, the Five Hundred Worlds might become...traitors to the Empire."

"..."

"Connor..."

The Primarch groaned in pain.

"This is a nightmare..."

"Betraying the Empire...Oh my God!"

Slowly, the Primarch's palm stroked his neck, where there was already a pool of sticky cold sweat that was almost impossible to wipe off.

The Lord of Macragge felt like a thorn in his side whenever he thought that the Five Hundred Worlds would most likely become rebellious against the Empire and humanity under his governance, and his worldview almost collapsed because of it.

Rebellion?

How can it be!

The original body's Adam's apple rolled up and down, and he instinctively wanted to vomit, but found that he had not eaten much just now. He swayed back and forth like a weak patient. He could only hold the window bars in front of him tightly with his hands, and crushed them carelessly until big drops of cold sweat crackled on the floor in front of him.

No.

He can't do this.

Roboute Guilliman could not be a traitor to the Imperium.

But Macragge... but the Five Hundred Worlds...

……

Father, what should I do...

The Primarch hugged his head, he almost wanted to sob again, but a warm feeling soothed him in time: Lady Euton had come to his side, put one hand on her son's waist, and slowly stroked his back with the other hand, just like a mother stroking a baby, little by little, calming the Primarch's emotions again.

"There's no use in complaining about yourself, Robert."

Euden comforted her son.

"Remember, you are their leader. You can respect their ideas, but you cannot be led by their ideas. Since you think it is inappropriate to do this, let's find a way to ease the situation. We will contact Terra."

"I have met the Sigillite, although only briefly. But I believe he is by no means an uncommunicative and reckless man. Terra must have their own price. If this price is really unacceptable, then we should just defend our own interests with peace of mind."

"I know."

The primarch nodded.

“I know what they want.”

"It's just... two things."

Who is the Lord of Macragge? Within ten minutes of receiving the information about the crisis on Badab, Guilliman had already guessed why Holy Terra had launched this reckless attack.

To be more precise, he had foreseen this scene more than ten years ago.

"Two things?"

"Yes."

The Primarch took a deep breath.

"The first thing is to collect taxes."

"The reason they sanctioned Badab is, on the one hand, to start with the powerful Overlord World in the Maelstrom region, and on the other hand, to force the forces of the Five Hundred Worlds to withdraw from the Maelstrom region. If Terra accomplishes these two things, not only will it gain enough prestige for itself, but it will also be able to take the opportunity to dismantle the largest local organization in the Maelstrom, turning it back into a mess. It can then take the opportunity to launch a comprehensive taxation plan."

"Although I still don't understand why Holy Terra would charge such an unreasonable tax, it is clear that they are extremely determined to collect taxes: so determined that they are willing to make Macragge their enemy."

"So, what about the second point?"

Euton then asked.

"Is this..."

The Primarch was somewhat embarrassed.

"Perhaps the expansion area of ​​the Five Hundred Worlds is too close to the solar system, so close that Holy Terra feels a fatal threat. They no longer want to see the Maelstrom area exist as my sphere of influence, and instead hope to expel my flag back to Ultramar."

"You're not surprised by this."

"I had expected this day to come."

The Primarch smiled wryly.

"how to say?"

"In fact, I didn't really support Badab's expansion back then, because I had foreseen that the Five Hundred Worlds' rule over the Maelstrom region would draw fear from many parties. But there was nothing I could do. At that time, the Five Hundred Worlds of Ultramar really needed a stable direction for expansion."

"Because for a long time, the system of the Five Hundred Worlds has been built around expansion: countless newly developed industrial worlds need more raw material production sites and dumping markets. The Far Eastern Frontier and Nostramo obviously cannot satisfy their appetite. Politically, we also need room for maneuver. Militaryally, we also need stable achievements and space to extract new people through actual combat."

"In short, Macragge at that time really needed a depression, a stable expansion direction for the Five Hundred Worlds, to maintain the operating system at that time: until I can transform the entire Macragge system from military to livelihood, from dependence on outward expansion to a self-sufficient internal circulation system."

"But this will take time, at least one to two generations."

"So, I had to find a direction for the Five Hundred Worlds to expand, a colony that didn't have to be counted as one of the Five Hundred Worlds."

"colony?"

"Yes."

"Development, in the final analysis, requires a price to be paid, and it requires the exploitation of other things: either oneself or the exploitation of others. The latter is collectively known as colonies, but there are more categories of such colonies, and some even do not look like colonies."

"So you chose the Maelstrom?"

"Because there is no other choice."

Guilliman shook his head, and couldn't help but sigh inwardly at the cruelty of fate.

"Originally, I could have avoided the sensitive area of ​​the Maelstrom, but Macragge's geographical location meant we couldn't expand to the east or south, because that area was beyond the reach of the Astronomican. However, there were still large tracts of unowned land in the west and north, enough to handle the work of the depression."

"Until my sister Morgan established her Far Eastern frontier in the North."

"A few decades later, she rescued Angron on Nuceria. Angron then built a kingdom within a kingdom belonging to the World Eaters in the west of the Five Hundred Worlds around his home planet, completely blocking our two main directions of expansion."

"There was no other choice. I activated the backup option of the Maelstrom only then."

"And probably from that time on, Terra was already extremely dissatisfied with me, right?"

"Do you know everything?"

"How could you not know?"

The Primarch shook his head.

"I am just hoping that my luck will be better, that Holy Terra will be more tolerant, and that time will last a little longer until the day when I can completely transform the entire Five Hundred Worlds into an internal circulation system. By then, the Great Vortex can be abandoned at any time."

"But now, it will take me at least another 20 years to complete my original plan."

"And Holy Terra's patience seems to have reached its ultimate limit."

"They came sweeping in, and the High Lord's letters were laid out on my desk."

"Give in, or fight."

"..."

"I don't have a choice, ma'am."

Lady Euton did not speak, she just stared quietly into Guilliman's pupils.

"Are they strong?"

"Who? Terra?"

"That's right: Is Holy Terra more powerful than the Ultramarines and the Five Hundred Worlds?"

"of course."

The Primarch nodded decisively.

"That's all I'll say."

"As of now, there are more than 64,200 expeditionary fleets in the entire galaxy. The number of expeditionary fleets that each Astartes Legion can have is at least a dozen, and at most just over a hundred. Added together, I'm afraid it's only a fraction of the total number in the galaxy."

"Think about it, who will the remaining expedition fleets obey?"

"Similarly, the total number of Titan Legions in the galaxy is far more than three digits, but most of the Primarchs can only rely on their relationship with the Mechanicus to barely mobilize one to three Titan Legions. I am special and should be able to mobilize eight Legions. Horus should be able to mobilize a little more."

"But besides that, who do the remaining Titan Legions and Knight Families obey?"

"I haven't even counted the mortal auxiliary forces that Holy Terra possesses, which are the largest in number."

"But they have no Astartes?"

"Yes."

The primarch smiled.

"Everyone would think so."

"But to be honest, even my Ultramarines Legion only has about 300,000 Astartes so far. With such a small number of troops, do you think they can play a decisive role in a battlefield with the Milky Way as the front line?"

"The Great Crusade relied on the concerted efforts of nineteen legions. A single legion would be extremely vulnerable in front of the Empire. Not to mention that the mortal auxiliaries are far less vulnerable. They are a force that is enough to shake the Astartes."

"Indeed, an Astartes can easily slaughter a mortal auxiliary soldier."

"As long as there are ten experienced and well-equipped mortal auxiliary soldiers, they are very likely to cause trouble to the Astartes. If they are lucky, they can even kill the Astartes. But if the number reaches twenty, thirty, or even fifty elite veterans, then the Astartes acting alone will have to think twice."

"A few hundred mortal auxiliaries, if they had the weapons and courage, could easily repel an entire squad of Astartes."

"If we go even further, when the mortal auxiliaries gather in the tens of thousands, with systematic firepower support, armored cover, and fortress networks, they can completely hold back or even fight against an entire Astartes company. When the number of people reaches millions or even more, even if the entire Astartes Legion is dispatched, I'm afraid it won't be able to ensure the final victory of the battle."

"And there are countless warriors like this under the banner of Holy Terra."

"No doubt about it, Ms. Euden."

"At least so far, Holy Terra is the most powerful military force in the entire galaxy. Even if the Five Hundred Worlds and the Far Eastern Frontier are fully mobilized, they can only barely compete with Holy Terra: this is based on the premise that all other legions are neutral and do not respond to Terra's call."

"And if we act alone, my greatest guarantee is to rely on the strategic depth and logistical supplies of the Five Hundred Worlds, as well as the full mobilization of the total war, so that Macragge will not fall so quickly. If Terra takes the casualties into consideration, perhaps they will give us a more decent surrender agreement."

"this is the truth."

"The reality is: Holy Terra is now the superpower in the galaxy."

"For at least thirty years, no country will be able to compete with it."

"What about thirty years from now?"

Guilliman was silent for a moment, and he thought about this question seriously.

"Thirty years later..."

"Maybe……"

"Horus, Lorgar, Morgan, and my Five Hundred Worlds, the four of us will become the four largest superpowers among all the Primarchs. If two or three of the four of us are willing to join hands, perhaps we will be able to be compared with Terra."

"But now, it's not the right time."

"Peace is coming. There is no need for us to shed blood before dawn."

"Trust me, ma'am."

“With the Emperor’s retreat and the end of the Great Crusade, peace and development will be the themes of the next era. A wonderful golden age awaits all of us. There is no need for us to start a war that would be a tragedy for the galaxy at this time.”

"What's more: we will definitely not be able to win this possible war."

"..."

"So: do you want to compromise?"

Euden asked tentatively, and the Primarch smiled in response.

"I don't know, ma'am."

"I was just thinking: maybe I should go to the Badab front and take a look."

"To find out what happened."

"Go sign a gentleman's agreement: if there are any smart people on Terra's side."

"To protect our interests as much as possible."

"To bring...peace to the next generation."

(End of this chapter)