Emperor's Bane

Chapter 854 Brotherhood

"Oh, my beautiful Lady Tarasha-Urton."

"Although it may seem a bit too flattering when I say this."

"But I assure the Emperor: Even though I have walked through the flowerbeds of the entire universe, I have never been impressed by the smile and warmth of any rose as much as you are."

"Please forgive me, my lady, please forgive me for having to leave for so long, and please forgive me for not being able to take my eyes off your face, because your smile is the only reason that supports me to return to Macragge from the most dangerous corner of the galaxy."

"And to express my gratitude and thanksgiving, please accept my gifts: although they are insignificant compared to you, they are enough to represent my sincere heart."

"..."

Guilliman felt that he might have become a little obsessed with working all night recently.

Otherwise, how could he explain what was happening before his eyes?

He had just dealt with the crowded VIPs and reporters, closed the door of his room tightly, turned around, and didn't even have time to catch his breath.

Then, he saw his biological brother Conrad, half-kneeling in front of his adoptive mother with a look of deep affection on his face. His lips, which had been specially whitened, were gently kissing the back of Euden's hand, making the adoptive mother smile.

And in the hands of the Midnight Ghost, there was a bunch of fresh and juicy... carnations?

It still looks genuine: God knows where he found this extinct thing.

Was it taken out from Malcador's private storage room when passing through Holy Terra?

Guilliman felt a black screen before his eyes.

The last time he had this feeling was a few years ago: a Word Bearers expeditionary fleet passed through the Five Hundred Worlds, shot an entire row of [underage] heretics in front of him, and then built an aesthetically pleasing cross in the square of Macragge.

The feeling of a pair of twelve or thirteen year old eyes staring at you with unwillingness is very impressive.

Back then, Guilliman was initially unaware of the latter incident, because the Word Bearers did it in the dark: until Lady Euden, who insisted on getting up early every morning for a walk, suddenly discovered that there seemed to be some new attractions on the roadside as she walked along the familiar morning path.

After Guilliman's adoptive mother was rushed to the psychiatrist's office, the Primarch unceremoniously issued an order of permanent expulsion from five hundred worlds to this group of Word Bearers, as well as any Word Bearers from then on without special reasons: he didn't care what that bastard Lorgar would think.

Anyway, that guy has been talking nonsense ever since he came back from the Eye of Terror: it is said that the country ruled by the Word Bearers has become more bloated and larger than the Five Hundred Worlds, their military strength is already incalculable, and some of the Crusader fleets that are rampant throughout the galaxy are even more powerful than some legions.

Of course, this is not the most terrifying thing.

The most frightening thing is that the country under Lorgar's rule has always maintained a high degree of radio silence. They are completely isolated from the outside world, and no one knows what is going on inside. Except for a few open hubs, the Word Bearers have blocked all Mandeville point channels.

However, whether it was the official delegation from Holy Terra or the covert spies from other organizations within the Empire, after they traveled to the worlds ruled by the Word Bearers, they sent back nothing but favorable comments, even compliments.

If these people had not received rigorous training and taken loyalty tests after returning, one would inevitably wonder if they were brainwashed: because even after returning, these people still had a high opinion of the Word Bearers' territory.

Without exception, they will even promote it as a paradise.

It’s really… weird.

No one knew what the Lord of the Word Bearers was trying to do: except Conrad, who had just returned from a trip there.

"..."

That's right! Conrad!

Damn it! Forget about this bastard!

Guilliman suddenly woke up: his daily habit of divergent thinking almost made him forget what his brother was doing.

You bastard!

That's my mom!

Then, the Primarch shouted loudly and rushed forward like an arrow.

There was no time to think about it. At this moment, the body of the Lord of Five Hundred Worlds burst out with unprecedented strength: he pounced on the Midnight Ghost like an angry mountain cat, and the moment Ms. Yuton just took the carnation, he knocked his biological brother to the ground.

Because the power unleashed by the Lord of Macragge was so astonishing, and the two Primarchs were not wearing armor, when they fell to the ground, they naturally followed the inertia of the power, and like rabbits rolling down a hill, they began to spin left and right on the priceless velvet carpet.

The two wrestled together like two preschoolers: Guilliman forgot his noble ways, Konrad forgot how expensive his gown was, fighting became the only thing on each other's minds.

The Lord of Five Hundred Worlds tightly strangled Midnight Haunter's neck from behind, his sturdy arms matching his ferocious smile.

Conrad was not to be outdone, and with his free arm, he hit Guilliman's waist and abdomen hard with his elbow. Every hit made the Lord of Macragge tremble slightly.

Seeing this, the Macragge man simply thrust one of his thighs forward and placed it between the legs of the Lord of the Eighth Legion, making it impossible for him to maintain his center of gravity. For every three elbow strikes, one would miss.

But before Guilliman could feel proud of this, the Night King simply stepped forward, stretched his neck, and then, with all his strength, slammed back fiercely: a headbutt that killed both sides, causing both sides to see stars and lose their aim.

But Conrad was the first to wake up. Relying on his rich experience in fighting tough battles, he quickly turned around, wrapped his hands around Guilliman's neck and took the initiative. However, the Macragge did not give up. Instead, he adopted the elbow attack tactic that Conrad had just used.

Just like this, the two noble rulers and legion masters were entangled with each other like thugs fighting in the mud, or twisting and turning like maggots on the expensive carpet. Dissonant curses and groans of pain were heard from time to time, but the atmosphere in the air was not tense.

Because anyone could hear that the two people were not angry during the fight.

Of course, Ms. Youton could hear it too.

Indeed, despite the fact that her son was fighting another brother in a life-and-death struggle before her eyes, Lady Euden showed no sign of nervousness: she simply stepped back, leaving plenty of room for Guilliman and Konrad.

Then, the lady, who was nearly 200 years old, picked up the carnations, sniffed the fragrance with intoxication, and looked for a suitable vase and position on the table. After finishing everything, she slowly poured two glasses of drinks with different flavors.

As if they had a tacit understanding, when Lady Euton had done all this, the fight on the carpet finally took shape: the two Primarchs paused their fight, panting, but Guilliman still held Conrad's neck tightly, and he himself gasped in pain from time to time because of the Midnight Haunter's elbows.

"If I had known I would not have let you and your cub in here."

Guilliman's originally exquisite toga had long been in a mess, his golden hair looked like a tangled bird's nest, his face was covered with carpet fluff and purple marks, and at the corners of his originally calm mouth, there was a ferocious smile that destroyed the Primarch's gentleness.

But even so, he still held Midnight Haunter's neck with a grim smile on his face.

"Huh? You bastard? You flirt with my mom in front of me every time!"

"I am just expressing my love for Ms. Yuton in a normal way!"

Conrad was pinched and coughed dryly, and his pale face was faintly purple, but his sharp teeth were still unyielding.

"What are you missing? What does my mother have to do with you?"

"She's the Primarch's mother! Such a rare thing, of course, needs to be seen more!"

"While there is still a chance, I may..."

"Shut your crow mouth!"

The two brothers muttered to each other and started to wrestle in the chaotic situation again.

At the side, Ms. Euton had already sat on her most frequently used chair, watching her son and his brother playing with a smile: As for the bad luck mentioned by Conrad, Ms. Euton, who was almost two hundred years old, had naturally become indifferent to such things.

In fact, she quite liked the visit of this little black-haired guy with no hair on his mouth.

Although according to her own thoughts, among all of Guilliman's brothers, Lady Euden is of course closest to Morgan. Even Kelly Fanny, whom she met through Morgan, is more important to Euden than most of the Primarchs.

But for Guilliman's sake, Euden hoped that this little guy named Conrad could come to the Five Hundred Worlds more often.

The reason is simple. Although the current Lord of the Five Hundred Worlds does have a few good brothers: Morgan is needless to say, Corax and Guilliman also get along very well, Angron and Vulkan are both neighbors who are acquaintances, and they can always reach an agreement that satisfies both parties on weekdays.

Even Jonson, who always looked unhappy, would come to visit occasionally. As for his conversation with Guilliman, although it was full of hostility, there was a kind of friendship in it: Euden could certainly hear it.

However, when facing these people, the Lord of Five Hundred Worlds still couldn't let go and he still maintained his airs.

It's not arrogance, but a habit that has been developed long ago.

No matter how close he was to Morgan and Corax in his heart, it did not show on the outside: both sides always seemed to be unnecessarily polite during their conversations.

Morgan was fine, but this problem was particularly evident with Corax.

Obviously, he and Guilliman were good brothers with a very close relationship, but even when the two were talking about the most private and relaxed topics, Euden, listening beside them, always heard a sense of hypocrisy and unreality: but she knew that Corax had never been such a child.

Even though his visit was to ask for help from the Five Hundred Worlds, he would not beat around the bush or make false promises. He would frankly admit his own powerlessness, and Guilliman would never delay in helping.

However, this did not make the conversation between them any more casual.

But among all people, Conrad is the only exception: only he has a unique magic.

Although the Night Haunter had never visited the Five Hundred Worlds for serious matters: any serious matters concerning the Eighth Legion were handled by Morgan, but every time he visited, he would inject a kind of vitality into Guilliman.

Whenever facing the Midnight Haunter, the Lord of Five Hundred Worlds would break down. He would put down his airs and have a fierce argument with Conrad, or simply punch him: but there was no anger in this.

The more they quarreled, the more their brotherhood grew.

This was also the reason why Lady Euden was happy to see Konrad's visit. As the Primarch's most trusted relative and advisor, Euden knew better than anyone how much pressure Guilliman, who was responsible for the Five Hundred Worlds alone, had to endure on a daily basis.

Especially after the Badab Crisis, the 500 worlds of Trama gradually drifted away from the main part of the human empire. Although they still had many friendly countries in the outside world, isolationism had become the mainstream in Macragge.

On the one hand, Guilliman led his beloved Five Hundred Worlds to change course in this drastic historical turn and complete the transformation in multiple fields such as economy, politics and military. On the other hand, he had to carefully maintain relations between his rule and foreign countries, take care of the people's hearts, and weigh the distance between himself and Holy Terra.

Needless to say, the hardships involved are immense.

Euden even suspected that if it were not for the help of external allies such as Morgan, Konrad and Corax, and the loyalty of the Ultramarines and the Five Hundred Worlds within to Guilliman, her beloved son might have been dragged down by the pressure on his shoulders long ago.

At this point, the effect of Midnight Haunter became apparent.

According to Euton's observation, if Guilliman could have a good argument with the little guy Conrad, or even a fight with him, his sleep quality would be much better that night.

Of course, this is the best outcome. If Guilliman unfortunately loses the fight, or even loses the debate to Conrad, he will most likely not be able to sleep that night. He gets more and more angry in the middle of the night and simply gets up to continue reviewing documents. Fortunately: Conrad always [happens] to lose to Guilliman.

Thinking of this, Ms. Euton fiddled with the carnations in the vase and smiled helplessly: she certainly knew that there was goodwill from the Midnight Haunter, and surely his son would not be unaware of this.

But sometimes, the help between brothers needs to be seen but not spoken out: just like the Five Hundred Worlds have been assisting Nostramo in various livelihood projects at a loss.

Just as the two-hundred-year-old woman was being sentimental about these trivial matters, her son had just returned victorious: the two Primarchs climbed up with grumblings, they still used sharp words to pierce each other, and when Guilliman climbed up first, he reached out his hand with ease and pulled Conrad up.

The two walked to the table and each took their favorite drink. After drinking it guzzled, Midnight Haunter tried to seize the opportunity and sat down in the seat closest to Ms. Euden.

But how could Guilliman not know his brother's little thoughts?

Before Conrad could make any move, Guilliman took a quick step and squeezed in between Midnight Haunter and his mother, so fast that even Conrad could hardly see clearly: it seemed that the Lord of Five Hundred Worlds had been specially trained for this.

But Midnight Haunter was still determined to take action, and he moved closer gloomily, trying to squeeze Guilliman out bit by bit: while the Lord of Five Hundred Worlds simply shook his hips and pushed his brother to the seat next to him.

At that moment, Conrad's face was full of confusion and grievance.

"You've changed, Robert: you can actually train in private!"

"I told you, I was getting a formal military education all along!"

The Lord of the Five Hundred Worlds gnashed his teeth in anger.

"Although I'm not a regular warrior, I'm not as weak as you slander me as!"

"whispering sound!"

Conrad snorted lightly, choosing not to look at the boring golden head. Then, his gaze shifted to Euden next to him. Facing the smiling primarch's adoptive mother, Midnight Haunter also approached with a flattering attitude.

"Ms. Euden, long time no see: you are still as young as ever."

"No wonder my sister Morgan always grumbles about how well you take care of yourself."

"Oh, by the way: I found a gift for you when I passed by Caliban: Lord Luther introduced me to three unique herbal essences there. They have excellent effects on the skin and hair color of wealthy ladies like you. They are even invaluable on Holy Terra."

"Look at you kid."

Yuton's eyebrows curved.

"Come if you want to. Why do you always bring such expensive gifts?"

Ms. Euton then turned her attention to her son.

"And you, Robert, don't play with Conrad all the time: look at what a polite little fellow he is."

"call--"

Guilliman took a deep breath.

He needed to take a deep breath: lest his eyes fall into darkness again.

"That's it."

Standing aside, Conrad always enjoys watching the fun.

"You too, Guilliman: you see how lonely Lady Euden is, and you are always busy reviewing documents, not giving her any company."

"..."

(Start here, and refresh if you notice too many typos.)
Guilliman glared at his brother.

“Is this something you need to worry about?”

"Look what you said!"

Conrad raised his voice.

"Ms. Euton is half my mother!"

"Can't I think about my mother?"

Then he leaned forward again.

"Listen, Ms. Euton. I have experience in this area. I have brought together many mortal couples on the Aurora and the Nightfall. This time, I was traveling and passed by Caliban, and I happened to see a good opportunity."

"Look at Mr. Luther. Isn't he alone now? You two are about the same age!"

"Let me tell you, Mr. Luther is in power now, handsome, and very handsome. He is only a little older than you, and he has raised Zhuangsen. He is a loving man, not only capable, but also thoughtful. Hey, don't be shy, you are still young and beautiful, it's a good time for you to have a twilight romance."

"Besides: don't you want to hear Jonson call you mother, too?"

"Think about it, wouldn't Guilliman then have a brother, Jonson?"

"They have a very good relationship. They are like brothers, which is even closer than that."

"..."

Guilliman's eyes widened.

He slowly turned his neck and stabbed Conrad's unconscious stupid face with a death glare.

At this moment, the Lord of Five Hundred Worlds suddenly had an idea: In fact, it is not impossible for him and Zhuang Sen, who was full of evil intentions, to cooperate.

If the purpose was to kill Conrad, the mixed-haired lion of Caliban would surely be more reasonable.

No.

Take a deep breath, Guilliman.

This is your...neighbor.

You can't kill him on the spot.

The Lord of Five Hundred Worlds could only adjust his breathing again and again. He did not care about how his adoptive mother refused. He grabbed Conrad's long hair, pulled him in front of him while he pretended to cry out, and stared at his brother's face.

"What are you doing!"

"Am I not looking for opportunities for your mother and his father?"

"Does Jonson know that you are here to find an opportunity for his old father?"

"If he knew, I'm afraid I wouldn't be able to come to you alive."

"Besides, Jonson hasn't been back to Caliban for almost thirty years."

"You know, he's like that. He gets carried away when he's on an expedition and doesn't care about anything else."

"expedition?"

At the sound of that word, Guilliman even forgot his own rage.

There is no way. Ever since some unpleasant things happened in the Maelstrom, the Five Hundred Worlds, under the management of Guilliman, have drastically shrunk their power. Even many of the secret sentries lurking outside have been voluntarily withdrawn one after another. The current Ultramar's grasp of the external situation is really far behind that of decades ago.

The Badab crisis back then can still shock the current masters of the five hundred worlds.

Therefore, Guilliman was not very well-informed about the outside world, especially people like Jonson who were on the other side of the galaxy.

You can't expect Jonson to tell him anything of his own accord, can you? Even if the lion did tell him, Guilliman might not believe it.

"It's strange."

The Macragge grumbled.

"I think the area in the northwest of the Milky Way has been cleaned up by Jonson."

"What is he doing again?"

"Forehead……"

Conrad opened his mouth.

"Well, Jonson didn't take the initiative to go out and join the expedition."

"join?"

"That's right: this time, it was our Warmaster Horus who invited Jonson to join his expedition."