Emperor's Bane

Chapter 757: Holy, Roman, and Imperial
"Honestly, Horus."

"I suddenly feel that I can no longer understand you now."

"Could you understand it before?"

"Before? I never even considered having any questions about you before."

When the Wolf-God dragged another bench from the other end of the courtyard and sat down directly opposite Guilliman, suggesting that the private conversation should continue, the Macragge chose to restart their communication with a somewhat rude joke.

If this sentence were said between ordinary people, it would undoubtedly cause a dispute. However, if it were said between two brothers whose blood is thicker than water, such a witty remark with a hint of sarcasm would actually highlight the close relationship between the two.

And Horus accepted his brother's kindness with his usual smile.

"That's normal: I never thought much about you before."

"So you still think about it a little bit?"

Guilliman discovered the clue, and the Warmaster admitted it generously.

"Yes: there are times when I think of your rustling quills with greed."

"A quill?"

Guilliman was stunned for a moment.

Is this a veiled metaphor? Or a reference to some specialty of Macragge?

However, the wolf god did not give his brother the opportunity to continue daydreaming. Horus was seen leaning on his temporary throne, with his back to the false clouds and sunlight, his chiseled face recalling the passion he had just expressed.

"But then again."

"Guilliman, my brother: I recall that I was not listed among your four friends."

"But you are part of the Fearless Four."

The Macragge nodded, not seeing anything wrong with this.

“You even classified them into categories?”

The Wolf Shepherd God raised a brow.

"We can't ignore reality."

Guilliman made a gesture with his fingers: the number eight for Night Haunter.

"For example, I would proudly list Conrad as one of my four most important friends among all my brothers. He, Morgan, Ferrus and Corax form the four best friends in my mind."

"But no matter how much I value my friendship with Conrad, I don't have the courage to put him in the Fearless Four. After all, with Conrad's command level and the large-scale combat capabilities of the Night Lords Legion, I can't be fearless when working with them."

"That's it."

The Shepherd God nodded.

"But with me?"

"Of course, Horus: you and your Legion are powerful enough."

“And together, we can be even stronger.”

Guilliman's face was light: he discussed his alliances with the most powerful military groups, and the chemistry these alliances could produce, as if he were discussing a pebble he had picked up from the side of the road.

"The Iron Hands of Ferrus, the Dawnbreakers of Morgan, the Imperial Fists of Dorn, and your Luna Wolves. My Ultramarines Legion, joined with any of them, can face the most powerful enemy without fear: and I cannot imagine the possibility of failure."

"Therefore, I will refer to the four of you as my Fearless Four."

"It can be seen that Morgan and Ferrus hold an important place in your heart."

The wolf-god nodded, greedily absorbing the information in these words: but when he had finished accepting them, a touch of the common gossip began to appear in the depths of the Cthunian's sea-blue pupils.

"But I'm also curious."

"In your mind: Who is more important, Ferrus or Morgan?"

"..."

The question silenced Guilliman.

As it was a rare opportunity for him to talk to one of the brothers he admired most in his heart, the Macragge man obviously did not consider the possibility of getting away with it: his teeth twitched uncomfortably, his brows furrowed, and after hesitating for about five or six minutes, he thought about it and gave an answer.

"how to say……"

"Ferrus is a nearly perfect warrior and inventor. What I appreciate most about him is his mastery of engineering calculations and his wild imagination. That is the great power I have dreamed of in my life. He is almost the best among us, and his Iron Hands Legion is the most versatile and powerful Astartes Legion I can imagine."

"but……"

The Primarch gnashed his teeth.

"After all, the cooperation and running-in between Ferrus and I are still not enough, and our understanding of each other is not deep enough. If we really want to think from the perspective of the Legion, then whether from the subjective point of view or from the degree of cooperation and tacit understanding between each other, the Iron Hands are more... um..."

Guilliman did not finish his sentence, but Horus did not care: he had already got the answer he wanted, and now it was time to put the subject aside.

"Well, that's very Ferrus."

The Warmaster muttered.

"But I'm more curious about why there is no place for Jonson in either the Four Best Friends or the Fearless Four: Over the past few decades, you two have cooperated quite a bit, right?"

"Of course."

As expected, the attention of Macragge's people was immediately drawn.

He snorted lightly, his disdain evident in his expression.

"And Jonson is also very good."

"But shouldn't we be discussing close friends and comrades-in-arms now?"

"It's not some beast taming list."

Horus: ...

It seems that the relationship between the two of them is more complicated than he thought.

"OK then."

The Wolf Shepherd God raised his brows and relaxed his body's center of gravity backwards.

"Nevertheless, I am glad to hear that you consider me one of your four chief companions, Guilliman, especially as I wish to work with you: our cooperation will have a cheerful undertone."

"I don't deny that."

In contrast to Horus, Guilliman leaned forward with a serious look.

"But before that, I want you to answer a question for me, brother."

"You have a lot of questions today?"

“I sighed a lot today.”

Macragge waved his hand and sighed out of habit.

“During this period, there are a lot.”

"It must be too much pressure."

The wolf god's brows were somewhat gloomy: no matter what he was thinking, when he witnessed with his own eyes that one of his blood brothers looked so exhausted and exhausted in front of him, and he himself was powerless to do anything, Horus still felt heartbroken.

He had promised his father that he would protect every one of his brothers.

"Tell me, what do you want to know?"

"I want to ask..."

Guilliman looked up: the Warmaster then realized how serious the Primarch was.

"Horus."

"Ok?"

"In your heart: Do you still think that you and the Luna Wolf are still human?"

"of course."

The Warmaster nodded immediately.

This shocked Guilliman, not because of the answer, but because Horus's expression was so calm: he seemed to have anticipated Guilliman's question and had already thought of the answer.

But the most important thing is: his expression was so calm.

There was no trace of lying at all.

"Really?"

"Why would I lie?"

The Wolf Shepherd God spread his arms, like a senior professor speaking eloquently.

"I know what you want to say: but think about it, Guilliman."

"On Mars and Reza, those Forging Generals who replaced their organs with engines, stuffed parts into their brains, injected plasma into their veins, and only less than 5% of their bodies were barely related to carbon-based life: are they considered humans in your eyes?"

"On the lower decks of ships that have been around for hundreds of years, those children of crew members who were born and died in the void, those deformed bodies caused by gravity, radiation, genetic mutations and the distortion of the warp: are they considered human beings in your eyes?"

"For example, in those materialistic empires, those imperial governors who can easily live for hundreds of years transform themselves from head to toe to be neither human nor ghost, without a single piece of skin or bone belonging to themselves: do you think they are still human?"

"..."

"Since they are all human beings, why are we and our descendants not human beings?"

“Human is a very narrow concept, but humanity is also a very broad concept.”

“It’s very subjective, but also very objective.”

"More often than not, it's just a simple question of self-identity."

"You think you are human: then you can be a member of the human race."

"So, don't be so rigid, bro."

The Wolf Shepherd smiled.

As the Warmaster himself said, he really thought about a lot of things in private before going to the Maelstrom: he tried his best to think of every possibility he could think of and reached a reconciliation with himself as much as possible.

There are some things that Horus during the Great Crusade would never have said, but the current Warmaster can admit them openly.

"Yes, I keep talking about mortals or the human race, but these are just my complaints in private: I never think that we should separate the Astartes from the human group. After all, fundamentally, the Astartes warriors are just humans who have undergone special genetic modification surgery."

"If we really want to trace the origin, what is the difference between the Astartes and those dignitaries who have been undergoing rejuvenation surgery, prosthetic surgery or transformation surgery: the difference is that our offspring may be more noble?"

Guilliman did not deny this statement.

"But just now, you kept emphasizing how we should treat mortals."

"Especially that sentence: You admitted with your own mouth that you don't trust mortals at all."

"indeed so."

The wolf god seemed innocent
"This is a...how should I put it..."

“Some complicated issues.”

He held out a finger.

"First of all, we must realize that the Imperium of Man belongs only to mankind, so all residents living in this empire should and can only be human: whether they are mortals, the Adeptus Mechanicus, Astartes, our Primarchs, or even the Emperor, they are all just humans."

"It's just that we belong to different small groups within the large group of humans."

"Is that understandable now?"

"Just like the same religion can evolve into different sects, and the same country can differentiate into different classes: we and the Astartes are indeed both human, but this does not mean that we will not have conflicts of interest with other humans."

"And it just so happens that the humans who are in conflict with the Astartes are the largest group of mortals under the larger group of humans. Their current representatives are the High Lords Council, who represent the largest but most vulnerable group of humans."

“So, I don’t trust this group.”

"So, you understand now, don't you?"

"A little……"

Guilliman's brow remained frowned.

"But I still don't understand: since you can regard the Primarchs and Astartes as members of the human group, why do you keep emphasizing in your words that we are different from the human group? Didn't you say that you want to coexist with humans?"

"That's right."

Horus smiled: but his smile frightened Guilliman.

“I want to coexist with them.”

“So, I chose to think differently.”

"What I just said was what I thought out with my mortal mind."

Suddenly, Horu pounced forward and stopped in front of Guilliman like a wolf. A cold wind blew in his face, and the eyes of the two Primarchs met: in the depths of the wolf-god's sea-blue pupils, Guilliman saw too many emotions that he could not describe in words.

Cold, fearful, nervous, worried...

"Guilliman, my brother."

"You don't really think that mortals are a broad-minded group, do you?"

"You don't really think that your lovely mortal subordinates are easy to talk to, do you?"

"Think about it, Guilliman. Think about it."

"Even before human civilization could escape the gravitational pull of Holy Terra, they had already learned to kill each other: just because of different skin colors, different places of residence, or even because some people's noses were higher or shorter, they would not hesitate to raise their butcher knives against their compatriots, until they killed all those who did not fit in with the group."

"Mortals fear monsters that are different."

“But they are always looking for those [monsters] that are different.”

"Then attack and destroy them, and feed yourself with the flesh and blood of others."

"It's not despicable, brother. It is precisely because of this kind of cruelty and greed that humans have reached their current position: to be honest, I actually admire the ruthlessness of mortals in this regard."

"So, I also have to take into account their cruelty and xenophobia."

The Wolf Shepherd God clenched his fists.

"Trust me, Guilliman."

"I don't want to turn the Astartes into a powerful class above mortals. I sincerely want to coexist with humans. So I sincerely think about their perception of the Astartes from the perspective of mortals and the subsequent impact."

"And the perception is..."

"No matter how close the Astartes are to mortals, in the eyes of most mortals, the Astartes are always a minority group whose lifespans far exceed their understanding, whose physical functions far exceed their theoretical limits, and who are completely different from them just from their appearance."

"Or rather: monster."

"This word is very rude, but it is indeed what many mortals think in their hearts."

"But none of this matters."

The Wolf Shepherd God retreated again, as if he had never been there.

"The important thing is..."

The Warmaster pointed to his head.

"We must always remember: no matter how much we want the two groups of Astartes and mortals to remain friendly forever, in the instinctive memory of the Astartes and mortals, they know very well that they are not each other, and they will not regard each other as true compatriots."

"Not yet, at least."

“They are different.”

“They live in two worlds.”

“And now, since we want to merge these two worlds…” “We have to pay attention to this.”

"..."

"what do you mean……"

Guilliman took a deep breath.

"Because we want the Astartes and mortals to be able to live in true harmony."

"So we have to keep in mind that Astartes are different from mortals?"

"exactly."

The Wolf Shepherd God's hands were drawing two circles in the air at the same time.

"You see: it's like there are two groups of mortals."

"If you want two ethnic groups that have never had any connection with each other to gradually become one ethnic group in the future, what method do you think should be used?"

"Are we going to completely merge these two human races into one immediately?"

"No."

Guilliman shook his head.

“This abrupt fusion will only create more internal conflicts between each other.”

"Yes."

"But the other way around: is it to keep them apart from each other until they die?"

"Neither."

Guilliman shook his head again.

“Distance brings unfamiliarity, unfamiliarity brings fear, and fear leads to fighting.”

"Yes."

"Especially when the difference between the two groups is so stark."

Horus felt a little emotional.

"So, the only way is to let the two ethnic groups live very close to each other, but not mix together immediately. Instead, they need to get to know each other over a long period of time, communicate with each other, actively show goodwill, and actively observe and learn to respect each other's customs. Only the magic of time can allow them to completely integrate together."

"Now, do you understand?"

The Warmaster spread his hands.

"It is precisely because we want the Astartes and mortals to completely coexist that we must always bear in mind that the Astartes and mortals are completely different groups. If we unfortunately forget this and just blindly speed up the pace of coexistence, it will instead cause panic among the mortal group."

"Of course, we must never mention these things to the outside world: we must do our best to encourage our descendants to develop truly friendly relations with mortals. We must do our best to extol the value of coexistence and mortals. We must show goodwill to Terra, and show goodwill that even we ourselves have to believe in."

"But only deep down, only in the hearts of those of us who are like us."

"We must remember: Astartes and mortals are two different groups."

"Only by keeping this in mind can we allow them to coexist successfully."

"The brighter our ideals, the colder our hearts should be."

"Beautiful ideals and a cold heart?"

Guilliman muttered.

"Of course."

Horus just smiled.

“Idealists are everywhere, but the naive ones among them have long disappeared, and the overly radical ones have also disappeared. The idealists who can truly succeed are those who firmly follow their ideals while also clearly understanding the necessity of an iron fist and caution.”

"If we want the future human empire to become an ideal society, then we ourselves must be a group of ruthless manipulators: if we want the two groups of mortals and Astartes to be completely integrated, then we must first reach a pure exchange of interests with the officials on Holy Terra."

“It’s helpless.”

“But it’s also very real.”

Horus leaned back on his throne, smiling somewhat wistfully.

"Honestly, Horus: I am beginning to feel a little sick of these things."

"Who says it's not?"

The Macragge was somewhat absent-minded.

He was silent for a long time before he suddenly blurted out a sentence for no reason.

"Horus."

"Ok?"

"You've changed a lot: you would never have had these thoughts before."

"what idea?"

"Compromise, concession, restraint, and empathy."

"Especially when facing mortals."

"..."

Horus simply smiled: he did not take it as approval or sarcasm.

"So, you accept it?"

"Accept it partially."

Guilliman smiled.

"It will take me some time to digest what I heard today."

"Just like you, Horus, you also need to spend more time to completely eliminate the deep-rooted prejudice and discrimination against mortals in your heart, isn't it? Some of the words you just said still have the style of the past."

"Yes."

The Warmaster did not deny it, but just looked away a little embarrassedly.

“It’s hard, but I’m trying.”

"Honestly, the biggest motivation that drives me to do all this is fear: I can't imagine what I am in this galaxy when my identity is completely separated from humans and mortals."

"I'm afraid of this: so I'm desperately trying to change my mindset."

"And...change more minds."

"Does this include giving power to mortals?"

"It's to give Terra power."

Horus turned back.

"Want to continue listening?"

"To make a long story short."

Guilliman checked the time.

"In two hours at most, I should be heading to the Badab system."

"It's all right: I'll go with you."

Horus blinked.

"There are some things I just want to talk to the Sigillite Malcador about."

"About your Imperial Federation?"

"It will require his cooperation: though I never liked Malcador."

“But like I said: I’m working through these things.”

"interesting……"

Guilliman rubbed his chin.

"So tell me: how do you plan to handle the power struggle with humans?"

“Still coexisting?”

"Don't you understand yet?"

Horus sighed.

"So-called coexistence is actually..."

"balanced."

Guilliman spat out the word.

"The balance between the Astartes and the mortals, and between the Primarchs and Terra."

"Is that so?"

"Yes."

Horus's fist stretched out.

“The same is true when it comes to power.”

"We have to respect Terra's rights, but we also have to protect our own rights."

"Then what do you want to do?"

"federal."

The wolf shepherd god is brief and to the point.

"simply put."

“Terra is the center, and we are the local.”

"We respect Holy Terra as the highest authority in the Imperial Federation."

"And Holy Terra must also respect the principle of local autonomy like ours."

“The balance is based on relatively limited sovereignty and laws that keep pace with the times.”

"As for internal conflicts, they need to be resolved through treaties, meetings and memoranda."

"One word."

"Even if we quarreled with the High Lord at the conference table."

"It's also much better than our soldiers firing at each other in the void."

"I agree with that."

Guilliman nodded: these last words brought back a lot of emotions for him.

"But: Do you really think that communication alone can solve all problems?"

"For example?"

"For example..."

The Macragge was stunned for a moment: it wasn't that he didn't know what to ask.

But there are so many questions to ask: each of which seems to have no answer.

"You intend to completely hand over the power of the central empire to those Terrans?"

"of course not."

Horus shook his head.

"Since it's the Imperial Federation, there will naturally be a Federation Parliament, right?"

"almost."

Guilliman nodded.

"and then?"

“Then we can demand the seats that are ours in this parliament.”

Horus held up two fingers.

"The councillors can be the Primarchs, or they can be powerful families with deep roots in the local area."

"Loyal to us?"

"Not really: just happens to be closely connected to certain Legiones Astartes."

"interesting."

Guilliman tilted his head.

"So how do you plan to get Terra to accept concessions on her seat on the council?"

"Because we can also recognize the privileges that the Terrans have in the Council."

"For example, Terra will always have the most seats in the council."

"The central government of Terra is also the unquestionable and absolute authority of the Federation."

"It's not enough: it's just some lip service."

Guilliman shook his head.

"They'll want something more practical: taxes or even an army, for example."

"True: but it's all negotiable."

The Warmaster spread out his fingers.

“They want taxes?”

"can!"

"As long as Terra can reach a compromise agreement with the local representatives, and as long as they are willing to consider the actual local situation, they can certainly exercise their right to collect taxes. If they still have concerns, they can send a commissioner to investigate the actual local situation in advance with our company."

"As for the army..."

Horus hesitated.

“I really haven’t thought about that yet.”

"But I have an idea."

Guilliman laughed.

Zhan Shuai was stunned for a moment, then shook his head and burst into laughter.

"Look, brother!"

"As long as we are willing to talk, as long as we are willing to sit at the negotiation table."

“Nothing is unsolvable.”

"Order, rules, compromise, cooperation: this is the future of the human empire."

“It is also the true meaning of Imperial Federalism.”

(End of this chapter)