Emperor's Bane

Chapter 812 Good Omen

[So, how much psychic power did you give Horus? ]

[Even I almost lost control of it. ]

When the Lord of Avalon arrived at her loyal Aurora, sat down on the familiar throne again, and was able to hold her favorite cup and drink her favorite hot drink: Morgan realized that several of her fingers had actually been trembling slightly.

Not out of fear in the heart, not out of anger in the mind.

It's because of overdoing it.

It's like asking a strong man to carry an object that is far beyond his strength limit. Even if he succeeds in the end, his fingers and ankles will continue to tremble and become numb for a period of time. This is a physiological reaction and the price of squeezing one's own potential.

For Morgan, the psychic teaching of Horus was similar in nature.

Although teaching the Empire's Warmaster was far from beyond the Spider Queen's ability, it was definitely not easy: at least half of the class time was wasted on suppressing Horus's pure, brutal and huge psychic power like the power of the wilderness.

[He was like a monster, and my small body could barely hold it together.]

Putting down the cup, the Lord of Avalon adjusted his breathing once again, and cast a resentful look at the people around him: Lucy was sitting in a daze in her seat, seemingly unaware of Morgan's resentment and strangeness.

She just stared at her fingers and asked the question nonchalantly.

"How was your conversation with Horus?"

【really interesting.】

Morgan sneered.

[It's as if you weren't sitting on his lap and listening in the whole time.]

"I mean further ahead."

Lucy glanced at her.

"You know, you haven't discussed any serious topics since I came here."

I don't think the discussion of how to kill Malcador is a serious one: it's a family picnic at best.

Having said this, the Spider Queen still positioned herself honestly, raised her head slightly, stretched out her finger, and pressed it against one of her temples. A light began to flow in her blue pupils: everyone who knew her knew that this was the prelude to recollection and thinking.

For the next few minutes, there was only quiet talking and listening in the hall.

Frankly speaking, the talks between the Spider Queen and the Imperial Warmaster were very constructive and forward-looking. The two sides maintained a relatively friendly and harmonious atmosphere. Although no further agreements were reached, they still fully exchanged views in the most critical areas, enhanced their understanding of each other, and were ready to establish a corresponding working mechanism.

"In other words, the only consensus you have reached is that you will not cause trouble to each other for no reason in the future?"

This is important.

Morgan nodded seriously.

[Horus has nothing to worry about, and I don't care what he wants to do next. ]

"You are dividing the empire."

[Are we the ones who are divided? Isn't the problem there? ]

The Lord of Avalon moved his fingers like a baby and gradually regained control of his hands.

[The countless hidden dangers accumulated by the Great Crusade are there. Either you turn a blind eye to them like Holy Terra, and then react when the problem explodes, or you take the initiative to dismantle the time bomb like Horus. Although there is a high possibility of it detonating prematurely, it is also possible to nip the danger in the bud. ]

[To be honest, I actually admire Horus's courage and determination more. ]

She smiled, a smile that came from the heart: no matter what the Spider Queen thought of her Wolf God brother in her heart before, after the meeting on the Spirit of Vengeance, Morgan's score for the Warmaster was always higher.

The reason is very simple: Morgan saw a Horus on the Spirit of Vengeance who was completely opposite to her preconceived impression of him, a man of action who possessed endless enthusiasm and motivation, and who had a genuine desire to do something practical and to really solve some problems. He was like the living incarnation of a brave man in an ancient heroic legend.

He may be reckless, immature, lacking experience and means, perhaps the goals he set are too ambitious, perhaps the methods he adopted are not perfect, and perhaps he inevitably mixed in some deep-rooted prejudices and selfishness during this period.

But his dream is unquestionable, he really wants to do practical things, do good things, and he is not a reckless man with only passion: the Wolf God knows the value of being down-to-earth, and while he has a cold logical heart, he has not lost the most innocent dreams in his mind.

[And these often create great people... well, or great people who fail at the last moment. ]

Even though only a few hours had passed, Morgan was already feeling nostalgic.

【Do you know, father? 】

[When I saw Horus telling me about his desires and plans with great dreams, I also understood a question for the first time: Why did Sanguinius and Chagatai Khan call the wolf god the sun?]

He does have a sunny side.

[It is a feeling that cannot be described in concrete words: just at the moment of looking into his eyes, you will have the idea that you want to walk side by side with him, facing the most painful turmoil in the world, until you witness with your own eyes the moment when your common childish dream rises.]

[Should I say this feeling is the charisma that belongs only to leaders? Or is it ambition?]

【Anyway, I didn’t have the same feeling towards Jonson and Guilliman.】

[In Conrad's words: Maybe this is the protagonist's halo in a certain sense? ]

Morgan smiled, holding the memory in his mouth for a while, savoring it, and when it lost its flavor, he spat it out in blandness.

【But in the final analysis, all this has nothing to do with me. 】

[Horus did not expect to form an unbreakable alliance with me. He just wanted to start from the greatest common denominator and gradually implement the consensus between us, so that I and my brothers behind me would not hold him back, and at least on the surface, support his authority as the warmaster.]

[When the eighteen most powerful military leaders of the Great Crusade are willing to listen to his orders, or at least not to oppose him openly, who can question the quality of the Imperial Warmaster? Who can say that the actual leader of the Great Crusade cannot be on an equal footing with the Terran Council of the Sigillite? ]

[With this authority, he can bargain with Terra at the negotiation table: the hidden dangers of the Great Crusade are his bargaining chips. He puts the less dangerous problems on the table, which not only increases his own momentum, but also gives hope to those who are dissatisfied with the current situation of the Empire, so that they feel that there is still a future in the Empire. ]

[Let them feel that as long as they are patient for a while, the Warmaster will help them solve the problem in front of them sooner or later: once there is a way to continue to live in peace, the determination to fight to the death will disappear quickly.]

[At the same time, it can also force Holy Terra to stop being an ostrich, forcing them to face the problem and find a solution: This is actually a good sign, father, if Horus and Terra are just satisfied with continuing to quarrel at the negotiation table, then the future of mankind and the empire will be bright. ]

So, why should I stop it?

Morgan raised his eyebrows, his eyes brightened, and a brilliant smile brushed away the gloom on Lucy's face, taking control of the topic into his own hands.

[And, really, you should worry more about Horus's talent than his ambition.]

"You mean?"

【Psychic power, his psychic power. 】

A gleam of gloom flashed across Morgan's pupils.

[It's a bit too strong. ]

As she spoke, the Spider Queen extended her hand to Lucy: Even though so much time had passed, if one looked closely at Morgan's fingertips, one could see that her nails and fingertips were still trembling in a slight arc.

[I believe you have also seen it, when I first started teaching Horus psychic power. We stood face to face. I asked him to hold my hand with his. He transmitted psychic power to me by feeling: this is the basic method used to measure psychic power.]

Morgan licked his lower lip.

【What happened next: You should have seen it clearly from the side, right? 】

"of course."

Lucy nodded.

"Under your guidance, he found the palace deep in his soul that held his psychic energy, and opened it with his own hands. The entire Spirit of Vengeance was affected by the uncontrollable psychic storm that followed, and you who were standing in front of Horus were also affected."

"I remember your legs went weak and you almost collapsed to the ground: just like the heroines in mortal novels who are knocked down head-on by the heroes when turning a corner. Unfortunately, you managed to keep your balance at the last moment."

"Tsk tsk tsk..."

[There is no need to recall this part. ]

“Why not recall?”

Lucy's smile was sharp.

"Since I came to your side, I have rarely seen any feminine aura in you. Really, you are my only daughter, but in many cases you are even more stubborn than your brothers. Malcador even laughed at me for this."

【He can laugh at you then. 】

Morgan interrupted her unhappily.

[Listen, if I hear even the slightest rumor about what happened, I will pack up your dear Olpersong and send him to the Vengeful Spirit: he just happens to have a public travel in his record.]

"You really know how to seize weaknesses."

[Good tutoring, no other way. ]

The Spider Queen gritted her teeth: she was almost bypassed by her father.

[Don't change the subject: What is the matter with Horus's psychic power? ]

"Why do you care?"

Lucy was still looking at her fingers intently, as if there was some priceless treasure buried on her fingertips.

"Why? Do you feel threatened by Horus's psychic power?"

[Not yet.]

The primarch muttered.

[Although it is indeed a lot, judging from the reserves alone, it is even comparable to mine, and only slightly less than Magnus, but his operation level is so poor that he can't bring out the power of it at all: it's like using a tank as a battering ram.]

"I don't have time to teach him."

Lucy blinked.

"Besides, I didn't intend to give him so much psychic power in the beginning."

“But then something unexpected happened.”

There's that word again.

Morgan felt his eyelids dancing ballet happily. [What's the surprise?]

"I don't know. I forgot."

Lucy finally pulled her eyes away from her slender fingers and looked at Morgan.

"This is one of the reasons why I decided to observe Horus up close."

【I thought you were just missing him. 】

The Primarch's words were like thorns.

[I didn't expect that there is still room for serious things in your mind. ]

Lucy didn't reply. She turned around and stared at the double-headed eagle on the ceiling. After her eyes were blank for a few seconds, she muttered to herself.

"do you know?"

【Know what? 】

"I sense the presence of the Dark Prince on that Warmaster's diadem."

【…】

【ha? 】

【What did you say! 】

"calm down."

When the Lord of Avalon almost jumped up from her throne, it was her father and adopted daughter who calmly pressed her hands, as if she was used to many storms: as if the person they were talking about was not his most beloved child Horus.

"The aura does exist, and it definitely belongs to the Dark Prince. I won't make a mistake."

"But it's not strong. It's more like a habitual corrosion. When I return the Warmaster's Golden Crown to Horus, I can guarantee that it will be as clean as a sterilization chamber. The Dark Prince has not prepared any more backup plans. Horus should not be His main target."

[Shouldn't we be concerned about why there is chaos corruption on it? ]

In his anxiety, Morgan didn't realize that his speaking speed had increased a lot.

[That was the Warmaster's Crown you personally configured for Horus on Ullanor: Didn't you notice it at the time?]

"Indeed, there wasn't one at that time."

Lucy's face turned serious.

"I am certain of this: and the crown passed through the hands of four people from the time it was forged to the time it reached Horus's hands, including Malcador and Valdor, and then you who was responsible for holding it up and me who was responsible for giving it to him. There was no one else."

[Forger? ]

"I built it myself."

【So, Waldo? 】

"Waldo just took it right under my nose."

【…】

The father and daughter looked at each other.

Although they all knew that this was absolutely impossible, in order to end this unpleasant topic as soon as possible, the Lord of Mankind and the Spider Queen still understood each other and expressed their common conclusion.

"Then it must be Malcador's fault."

He wasn't there anyway.

[But seriously, Father: Are you really not worried about Horus? ]

"worry about what?"

This time, it was Lucy who asked Morgan back with a bright smile.

"Are you worried that he might be corrupted?"

"Should I worry about Jonson? Should I worry about Guilliman? Should I worry about Dorn and Sanguinius? If I put all my energy into defending the Warp, I would not be able to leave the Great Crusade at all: Horus is indeed the most important one, but he is not so important that he is completely irreplaceable."

"Both for me and for them."

"On the other hand, remember what I mentioned to you before? As long as you don't actively surrender, they can't overwhelm you subjectively. In this regard, I believe in Horus' loyalty to me. He will not surrender just to rebel against me."

[And if he really gave in...]

"Then it's useless for me to be vigilant."

Lucy smiled gently.

"Besides: do you really think I don't know what happened to the title of Warmaster?"

"I'm prepared, Morgan."

But not enough?

“No preparation is ever enough.”

Morgan's adopted daughter shook her head.

"Compared to this: Do you think that the psychic powers of Horus will one day go out of control and backfire on him, like Magnus on Nikaea?"

[Probably... not. ]

The Spider Queen hesitated for a moment.

[Don’t you know better than me? ]

"When it comes to the issue of power, it is difficult for me to put myself in your Primarch's shoes."

“The gap between us is too big.”

Lucy felt the silence.

"Relax, I'm not talking about you."

The silence disappeared.

[If you ask me, I'm not worried about Horus's psychic power going out of control.]

The Primarch chewed on the corresponding memories.

[Although Horus's skills in psychic powers are still very crude, he is very talented and is at least in the top five among all the Primarchs: I have used the same method to teach Jonson, Russ, Konrad, Perturabo and Corax, but their progress is not as fast as Horus.]

"You didn't teach Guilliman?"

As soon as she said this, she found that the Spider Queen was looking at Lucy seriously.

[Please be advised: I have already refunded the corresponding tuition to Mr. Guilliman, and I refuse to acknowledge that I have ever had a teacher-student relationship with him.]

[Well, but Horus said: When we left the Vengeful Spirit, he was able to control his psychic energy to a certain extent, at least he would not fall into a rampage easily. Considering the rich reserves of his psychic energy, this is actually a very amazing achievement. ]

[But more importantly, Horus is different from Magnus. He does not have the same admiration for psychic power as a scholar, but simply sees it as a tool to be used: if he can continue to maintain this pragmatism, he will not be too obsessed with psychic power, and the probability of him dying on one path is not high.]

"Sounds safe?"

[For now, yes.]

After pondering for a moment, Morgan came to a conclusion.

[To be honest, I don't believe Horus is the one who was corrupted. His loyalty and tenacity are indeed impeccable. Instead of worrying about the Wolf God, I am more worried about the other brothers. There are more than one or two Primarchs with huge flaws.]

"I know, it's like..."

"Dong dong dong."

【What's wrong? 】

A knock on the door interrupted the conversation, and Bernard's voice responded to the Spider Queen's inquiry.

"Sir, we have just received the battle report from Lord Rana."

"He has resolved the war in the Silent Far Commonwealth with the Third Company of the Space Wolves."

"all the best."

[Very good, send it in. ]

The Primarch nodded in satisfaction, then noticed that the person next to him seemed to be in deep thought.

【What's wrong? 】

"Nothing: I think I have heard of this Jingyuan Federation."

[Really? How are they?]