Emperor's Bane

Chapter 865 The Ambitious Man Who Got the Wrong Script
[According to the time, the Warmaster should have met Russ]

[Do you think the two of them will fight directly, Robert? ]

"……what?"

The Lord of Avalon's abrupt question made the Macragge people, who were immersed in their own thoughts, stunned for a moment.

I don’t know if it was an illusion, but Guilliman actually heard two completely opposite emotions in Morgan’s question.

Morgan seemed to be worried that something bad would happen.

But she seemed to be expecting a big fire?

"I don't think...?"

Blinking his eyes and thinking for a moment, Guilliman felt that he was probably too tired and lacked concentration, which led to the auditory hallucination.

So he quickly smiled and looked at Morgan in front of him.

【No? 】

The Spider Queen was leaning on her favorite chair. She had kicked off her boots and placed her sock-wrapped feet in the middle of the couch on the other side in an image-free manner: in front of Guilliman, whom she regarded as her own, Morgan had learned not to care about her image.

Although compared to some of the Primarchs, she never really cared about her image.

【Why do you think so? 】

The Lord of Avalon's soft body leaned back in an exaggerated arc, with legs stretched out, like a lazy cat, taking a rest between the armchairs and couches: when she casually threw the documents in her hand on the table, the Macragge glanced at it casually and found that it was a long list of daily necessities.

Is Morgan moving?
The Primarch was confused, but his innate multi-threaded thinking ability allowed him to answer the sisters' questions almost at the same time.

“Because they are not like that.”

Guilliman was firm.

"I have met Horus privately many times over the years. Although I cannot say that our relationship is very good, it is definitely not bad. We have highly consistent views on many political and management issues. Through certain viewpoints, I think I have some understanding of him."

【Um. 】

Morgan snorted, signaling the Macragge to continue.

As for herself, she had slowly sunk into the softness.

A sleepy-eyed Spider Queen seemed to have no bones and was almost rotting in her marshmallow-soft chair. Guilliman could not help but take a few more glances at her: even though he was already accustomed to Morgan's laziness, the Spider Queen seemed particularly lazy today.

It was as if she hadn't slept for dozens of nights before.

This somewhat strange thought flashed through Guilliman's mind, but he did not stop talking.

"Horus, no matter what kind of person he was in the past, I am willing to say a few good words for him now: his temper has indeed become much milder, and he has become calmer and more fair in dealing with people. According to my own opinion, I am willing to admit that his title of Warmaster is indeed worthy of the title."

Speaking of this, the Lord of the Five Hundred Worlds seemed to suddenly remember something.

He coughed awkwardly.

"Well: you must not tell Zhuang Sen what I just said."

[Hmm~]

And the Spider Queen seemed too lazy to respond to her Macragge brothers with a more tired voice.

"..."

Seeing this, even Guilliman, who was not very curious, had to ask a question.

"What's wrong with you, Morgan: haven't you been sleeping well the last few nights?"

【nothing. 】

The Spider Queen moved her tongue reluctantly.

[I haven’t slept well recently: I’m busy with…some very important things. ]

“I know the feeling.”

The Macragge nodded. He almost subconsciously discovered that the "recent period of time" Morgan mentioned was most likely measured in months or even years.

[But, you just said...]

Morgan glanced at her brother.

[You and Horus often meet? ]

"You should know that we don't meet as often as you two."

Guilliman nodded directly.

"Everyone in the galaxy knows that whenever the Imperial Warmaster encounters a large-scale event, he will try his best to invite the Lord of Avalon to attend. Compared with your close relationship with the Wolf God, I can only say that I have benefited from it a little bit."

【That’s true.】

Morgan muttered something.

【But the Warmaster is kind to everyone. 】

[I'm just... closer to the front.]

The Macragge nodded, he did not deny Morgan's statement.

After all, Horus's changes over the years were well known: even the Macragge people, who had become somewhat estranged from the Empire, were well aware of this.

In the short period of less than fifty years since the Emperor announced his departure from the Great Crusade on Ullanor, Morgan had met Horus at least fifteen times, if not twenty times: a frequency that was quite exaggerated for a Primarch.

How many Primarchs have never met each other even ten times in their lives.

Of course, this does not mean that other Primarchs were treated coldly by the Warmaster.

In fact, during the fifty years since the Lord of Mankind was away, the Wolf Shepherd God was so busy that one could not help but wonder if he had not rested at all in this half century?

During the fifty years, Horus' most important and most valued job was to maintain good relations with the various Primarchs and Legions: he met with his brothers frequently, and even with Jonson and Corax, with whom he did not have a good relationship on the surface, the Wolf God had met at least five or six times, and each time he was extremely friendly and brought valuable gifts.

There were even rumors that Horus had even bowed and apologized to his brother in a semi-public setting before both legions in order to resolve the foul feud between him and Corax over the early years of the 19th Legion.

Although the authenticity of the rumor is unreliable, judging from the subsequent performance, the Wolf God did use some method, or simply relied on his sincerity, to gain the forgiveness of the Crow King: this is also one of the reasons why Corax was willing to personally participate in the Wolf God's activities in Lothala.

Of course, the main reason is still because of Corax's filial piety. He may be one of the only three of the eight Primarchs who rushed to Terra who really cares about the safety of the Lord of Mankind: the other two are Horus and Mortarion.

In addition to building good relations with his blood brothers, the Wolf God also frequently used his status as the Imperial Warmaster to coordinate conflicts and actions between the various legions: many border issues between the Primarch fiefdoms were satisfactorily resolved under Horus' mediation.

Not to mention, he often arranged joint expeditions for various legions, and provided guidance and support as a warmaster: and the Shadow Moon Wolf Legion of the Wolf God also shined in this process. They enforced strict discipline in various expedition battlefields and basically wiped out the gangster rumors that had been lingering around them.

Naturally, all these efforts were noticed by the Primarchs.

If on Ullanor, most of the Primarchs either did not care or simply acknowledged Horus's status as Warmaster because of the Emperor's orders, then today, fifty years later, no matter what their true thoughts deep in their hearts were, at least most of the Primarchs were willing to admit that the Wolf God was indeed worthy of the title of Warmaster of the Empire.

He might not be the best in everyone's eyes, but when the Warmaster's orders came from the Wolf Kingdom, most Primarchs were willing to obey: even Jonson, Morgan or Corax.

And this was only the most brilliant achievement that Horus had made in these fifty years: in the remaining time, he would also command the conquest and pacification of the northern region of the galaxy, build and maintain his own power group, maintain a fighting but not breaking relationship with Holy Terra in all areas involved in politics, and win more allies for himself in the galaxy.

Horus was growing at an astonishing speed, and his kingdom was also expanding at the same speed. Although its foundation was still not as good as the Five Hundred Worlds and Avalon which had been developed for hundreds of years, the only difference between them was the accumulation of time.

At least in Guilliman's view, the earth-shaking changes that had taken place in Horus and the forces under his command in the past fifty years were enough to make him feel ashamed: of course, this was also due to Guilliman's terrifying modesty.

[However, it is not your style to praise Horus for this reason.]

The Spider Queen stared at her brother.

[Let me guess: Did the Warmaster promise you something during our last meeting? ]

"It's not a promise."

Guilliman made no attempt to conceal his blood relationship.

"He just...revealed his plans."

"Part of the plan, of course: there must be more in his mind."

【Upper Lotella?】

"Yes, he also told me what he planned to do after going to Terra, and hoped to get my help. According to Horus himself, if Malcador and the high lords are willing to hand over peacefully, he will not make things too ugly."

【oh? 】

Morgan tilted her head up a little, finally showing some interest.

【So, I’m the one who lost. 】

"What's the loss?"

[The last time Horus sincerely invited me to meet him, I declined due to my busy schedule. I guess he wanted to tell me the same thing.]

"It's okay. I'll tell you."

Guilliman waved his hand.

"To put it simply, Horus himself didn't believe that the Sigillite and his high lords would really do anything to the Emperor, but he couldn't understand why the Emperor had been unwilling to meet outsiders for so long. So, he thought our father might have really encountered trouble, which made it inconvenient for him to act, and the high lords didn't dare to say anything for various reasons."

[So, he plans to go to Terra to take over the power of the Emperor? ]

Morgan smiled, even she didn't believe what she said.

Guilliman spread his hands.

"The main purpose of the Wolf Shepherd God is to ensure the safety of the Emperor: after all, he has always loved our father deeply, and everyone knows this."

"But in addition to this, if the Emperor is really unable to act, or if something more troublesome really arises, Horus is also ready to accept the power of the Empire."

"He told me that if he needs to take on the responsibility of regent, he does not want the process of power transfer to be bloody. He is willing to respect the high lord and let the seal holder maintain his position in exchange for a smoother transfer of power."

[In other words, he wants to ascend to the top of Terra as a king? ]

"That's what I mean. And it's indeed the safest solution."

The Macragge smiled. "Then he told me that while he was willing to respect the Sigillite and the High Lords, he could not trust them. So if he ever became Regent, Horus would like to invite one of you or me to Holy Terra to assist him."

[Just the two of us? ]

"No, Horus showed me the list of people he planned to invite. In addition to us, he also planned to invite the Angels, Khan, Jonson, and Lorgar to Terra. He also invited some important figures from other legions and arranged appropriate positions for them."

"From what I understand, the list is indeed fair. The number of seats he left for the Wolf Nation is not that many."

[Not bad: It seems that the Wolf God knows what he lacked the most before. ]

Morgan leaned back in his chair, his attitude becoming lazy again.

The secrets revealed by Guilliman did not exceed Morgan's expectations. After all, she had met Horus many times and naturally acknowledged Horus' progress. She was also able to guess what the Warmaster wanted to do.

It is very simple to say: at least when it comes to the safety of the Emperor, Holy Terra is absolutely the party in the wrong, which gives the Warmaster a lot of room to play.

As long as Horus performed well enough in the next actions, it would be entirely possible for him to use reasonable means to suppress the High Lords Council, truly exercise the authority of the Warmaster, and complete his grand ambitions on Terra: if possible, there would not even be bloodshed.

Therefore, Morgan could understand the Wolf God's cautiousness all the way: he waited for several years, and only took formal action after confirming the news was true. He first showed off his muscles with great fanfare to intimidate potential opponents, but was willing to abide by the rules of the game to give Terra and other Primarchs a sense of security.

As for Horus' plan, the highly anticipated and upright kingly way, although the progress is indeed slow, it must be admitted that it is relatively the safest one.

Even from Morgan's perspective, as long as it does not involve the Warp, the Spider Queen actually doesn't mind seeing the Warmaster ascend the throne of Terra.

After all, in order to win over his brothers and powerful people in various places, unlike Terra who has always been eager for centralization, the Wolf God has been expressing his recognition of local autonomy since Ullanor fifty years ago.

He is willing to share the world with his blood brothers: this is also what makes Horus most attractive to Morgan, Guilliman and others.

If you can, why not?
Maybe Horus can really bring them a little miracle?

Morgan smiled at the thought.

It was not because of joy, but because the Spider Queen suddenly realized that when she and Guilliman were thinking about Horus, they had naturally forgotten about the other party involved.

So, what about Ruth?

Judging from the look on Guilliman's face when he heard this question, Morgan was sure that he had made the same mistake as himself.

"Ruth..."

The Macragge first quickly recalled the name, just like a sailboat in the sea looking for an anchor, and after finally connecting the name of the King of Fenris with the issue they were discussing now, the melancholy on Guilliman's face suddenly disappeared.

"Are you worried that Russ will lose his composure when facing the Warmaster?"

[It’s not like he hasn’t done it before.]

"Hey…don't worry, Morgan."

Guilliman waved his hand casually.

"He's Ruth though."

"But at least, he's Ruth."

[That makes sense. 】

These two jokes really made the Spider Queen laugh.

She collapsed back down, like ice cream melting in a bucket.

[But, then again. 】

Speaking of Ruth, I just remembered something about you, Robert.

"what?"

Guilliman looked up.

【That's the one……】

Morgan stretched out a hand, drawing messy arcs in the air, but couldn't think of what to say: she frowned and covered her temple with her other hand, looking like she was overthinking.

[That… that what is it…]

[Oh, by the way: hasn't Russ been working on his new army? ]

"Yes."

Guilliman nodded.

"Russ has done a great job. I have seen those new Norman troops. They are indeed more like real warriors than the old Space Wolves. But the problem is that their numbers never go up. So far, it seems that they have not reached 100,000. I heard that the Fenrisians in the legion are not very happy about it."

【Let’s not talk about this.】

Morgan waved his hand.

[I want to ask: Have you also implemented a new military policy in your five hundred worlds? ]

"You mean the military transfer document..."

【Not this one, the latest one. 】

[Oh, that's right! ]

Morgan suddenly sat up and looked at the brother seriously.

[Have you cut your military again? ]

"Ah...right?"

Guilliman nodded dumbly.

"what happened?"

[What's wrong? Your existing standing army numbers are already dangerous, Robert.]

"It's okay, Morgan. Now is not the time for a great expedition. We won't need so many troops in the future."

【That's too little. 】

The Spider Queen shook her head.

[Why disarmament: Is it possible that your Six Hundred Worlds Plan has run out of supplies again? ]

"Well... that's right."

Guilliman lowered his head, looking rather embarrassed.

"I'm not here to find you..."

【whispering sound! 】

Her Majesty the Spider Queen laughed.

She knew that if Morgan's insomnia and weakness were simply due to the Lord of Avalon's usual bad luck, causing her to be busy day and night because of something during this period, then Guilliman's fatigue and lack of concentration were somewhat self-inflicted.

The reason is also very simple.

About five years ago, the Lord of Macragge, through various efforts, finally got the Grand Council of the Five Hundred Worlds to pass a national policy: this was a "grand plan" that the Primarch had been planning and laying the groundwork for since the Badab Crisis.

This plan has a long history.

The outbreak of the Badab Crisis made Guilliman realize that it was no longer possible for the Five Hundred Worlds to develop inwards into the galaxy, so the Primarch turned his attention in another direction: a path that had never been imagined.

Beyond the illumination of the Astronomican, to the east and south of the Five Hundred Worlds, the regions known as the Outer Darkness are fraught with dangers, but they are also rich in resources and endless habitable worlds, providing fertile ground for Ultramar to continue its glorious chapter.

However, having said that, it is not easy to carry out colonial expansion in areas that even the Astronomican cannot reach: this plan was formed as early as the Badab Crisis, but it was not passed by the Grand Council until a few years ago, and the resistance it encountered can be felt.

You have to know that this is the Five Hundred Worlds where Guilliman can almost make the final decision. Despite his vigorous promotion, it still took more than 40 years for it to be officially recognized: this also shows that most of the powerful people in Macragge are not optimistic about this plan.

Having to reconcile these contradictions, take care of the progress of the development plan, and maintain the daily operation of the Five Hundred Worlds, it is understandable that Guilliman has been lacking energy in recent years.

Of course, this huge project, which was enough to turn five hundred worlds into six hundred worlds, put more financial pressure on Macragge than the mental pressure on Guilliman himself: this was the first time since the establishment of Ultramar that it had encountered the dilemma of poor material turnover.

The Lord of Macragge was forced to go a step further on his original disarmament plan and made another major cut to Ultramar's remaining standing military forces: millions of experienced and veteran soldiers retired early, thus squeezing out enough resource surpluses.

Afterwards, they were immediately stuffed into the pioneering fleet. As the middle management class and the core of the colonial armed forces, these future governors were promised great autonomy in the outer darkness, and the taxes they needed to pay were minimal: in order to offset their retirement bonuses and pensions.

From this detail, we can also see how much burden the ambitious Six Hundred Worlds Plan has brought to Ultramar: otherwise why would Guilliman set his sights on those insignificant pensions and retirement benefits?

Although the Primarch himself firmly believed that they would be able to reap rich rewards from this plan in just one generation, at the current stage of the plan, Ultramar had to drastically reduce production capacity in other areas to support the new expansion frenzy.
The biggest part of this is the military.

In Morgan's opinion, because of Guilliman's firm belief in peace, the standing military strength of the Five Hundred Worlds has declined to a level that the Lord of Avalon finds very dangerous: although according to common sense, the army maintained by Guilliman is sufficient to maintain the Five Hundred Worlds while fulfilling the alliance with Avalon.

But the Spider Queen knows: what she has now is far from enough.

She really wanted to tell the Lord of the Five Hundred Worlds frankly what would happen in the future and urge him to shift his focus to the military field, but a strong sense of uneasiness in her heart prevented Morgan from speaking on this issue.

She knew where the uneasiness came from.

From Guilliman: Weak.

Not to mention how the truth about Chaos and the Warp would impact the Lord of Five Hundred Worlds' original outlook on life: just letting him know about the existence of the Warp was already the worst possible option.

Just think about it, with the pitiful psychic resistance of the Macragge people, if he was corrupted by being aware of the existence of the Warp, it would even affect the Five Hundred Worlds: the scene would be so beautiful that Morgan couldn't even imagine it.

And she really couldn't stay with the Macragge people all the time. Sending Conrad to Ultramar every once in a while to see if there were any disturbing changes was the limit of what Morgan could do.

【…】

No…wait?
The Spider Queen suddenly narrowed her eyes.

She seemed to have forgotten something important.

If it was Guilliman: Morgan might have been able to do one more thing.

A...preventive thing?
Thinking of this, the Spider Queen shifted her gaze to something: something she hadn't noticed for a long time.

The golden sword that had been stuck in her mind for a long time had been silent.

(End of this chapter)