Warhammer: Start with a dog.

Chapter 776 Even if Lucius comes, he'll have to do two jobs for me.
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*Radolon spoke too much, you can skip that part.-
When Saint Gilles heard about the recent sensational developments on the Vengeful Spirit aboard the Red Tears, he assumed it was nothing more than some rumor caused by the appearance of the Interrex.

But when his reliable and composed company commander, Radolon, returned from the Soul of Vengeance with an incredulous expression, he began to think that things might not be so simple after all.

"You said there's an officer, the son of an emperor, who keeps pestering the War Marshal and the Lord of Steel, refusing to return to his own legion?"

Saint Gilles tried to make his expression less strange. "What do you mean by 'entangle'?"

The first company commander of the Holy Blood Angels hesitated for a moment, unusually, before finally choosing to report the facts.

"It means that captain named Lucius, the son of the emperor... literally, he is inseparable from the Warmaster or the Lord of Steel, even when he is resting, he requires his guards to be stationed in a room near the Primarch."

The Archangel raised one of his handsome eyebrows: Even close attendants like Radoron and Azcalon rarely acted this way; surely it wasn't Forgrim who set an example? Feralus Manus didn't seem like the type to condone such behavior.

"What about the will of the Warmaster and the Lord of Steel? What about my brother's Gastalin? Or Peturabo's Tyrant Guard? His comrades as the Son of the Emperor? What about his discipline as an Astartes and his respect for the Primarch? Is it possible that not a single person in such a vast Legion could stop him? I simply cannot believe that this could happen to the Spirit of Vengeance."

“If I hadn’t witnessed it with my own eyes, I would also find it unbelievable, my lord,” Radolon replied, bowing.

"Forgive my bluntness, but both Primarchs were very lenient with him. The Warmaster granted him the right to enter the Inner Brotherhood and allowed him to stand with the Council of the Four Kings, the High Priest, and others."

The first company commander of the Holy Blood Angels paused for a moment, then continued his statement with a mixture of emotion and certainty.

"You know, even the Supreme Commander Edoron, the son of the Emperor, is still struggling to regain his place among the Warmasters, while Lucius has inexplicably bypassed his superiors and gained such favor from the Warmasters. I've even heard rumors that Edoron was so furious that he lost his composure. And the Lord of Steel is even more indulgent, granting him the right to freely enter and leave his room and deliver messages. In my opinion, the willpower and self-control of the Iron Warriors Tyrant's Guard are truly admirable. If Azcalon were in their position, one of them would probably already be a corpse."

"Such... indulgence towards an emperor's son?"

This situation, which was completely illogical, left Saint Gilles in a state of bewilderment for a moment.

There has never been any affection between the Lord of Steel and the Phoenix of the Purple Court, but there is no obvious conflict of interest between them either. Moreover, anyone with eyes can see who Forgrim admires most among his two brothers, so why is that?
“How are my brothers doing? I mean, just tell me the truth about his attitude or behavior, Radoron, and I will not blame him.”

The First Company Commander paused briefly to recall, clearly confirming his impression, before speaking, "The Lord of Steel claims that he has been busy with research activities to fulfill the Warmaster's wishes, so he has been appearing in public much less often, and Lucius has been relaying his messages on his behalf most of the time; the Warmaster is as noble and heroic as we have seen him before, but due to the recent arrival of the Terra Council's tax delegation, he has been somewhat overwhelmed with paperwork, and the Warmaster simply—simply ignores him."

Saint Gilles shook his head, his expression showing disapproval when he heard about the tax delegation, but he didn't say much. "The pressure and expectations that Terra has placed on the Warmaster are indeed too great. Perhaps we should consider sharing some of the burden for Horus and return to Terra first to appease the court, high-ranking nobles, and administrative officials."

"I obey your command, my lord."

"So, did Lucius do anything bad using the favor he received?"

“That’s exactly what puzzles me, sir.” A look of confusion appeared on Radoron’s handsome face. “Lucius seems unusually… relaxed, aside from delivering messages, strolling around, showing off, and sparring. But he hasn’t done anything particularly outrageous, except… he always appears when the Warmaster is in the strategy room thinking or making decisions.” “Is he trying to influence Horus with words?”

“No, not at all. If I had to say something,” Radoron said carefully, “it should be said that he seems to have a lot of opinions about the Chief Priest of the Whisperers, who advises the Warlord and assists him in handling government documents. He interrupts the Priest from time to time or argues with him. As I just told you, the Warlord doesn’t care about his behavior.”

"So what do the other soldiers you know think about this?"

"I was received and accompanied by members of the Council of Four Kings. Although they were still very welcoming to me, I could sense their reluctance to discuss the matter, so I couldn't be sure what the truth was."

"This is indeed a strange matter, but it doesn't seem to pose a major problem for the time being. I will try to bring it up with my brother when I meet with him alone later."

Given that they had more important matters to attend to next, Saint Gilles decided to put this minor incident on hold for the time being after careful consideration.

This important event was the first visit of the Interrex delegation after three days of intense discussions and communications.

This is the first formal contact between two powerful human civilizations located far apart, and the War Master has ordered that no one is allowed to show any intention to wage war or engage in any provocative behavior.

Saint Gilles has been staying on the Red Tear recently because he will continue to share the burden of his brother – referring to his role as the temporary commander on the Red Tear, overseeing the operation and security of the entire Combined Fleet during the talks.

The Primarch who accompanied the Warmaster in receiving the Interrex delegation became the Iron Warrior, Peturabo.

This actually caused some minor dissatisfaction within the Blood Angels' fleet. More than one person felt that the Steel Lord's appearance, temperament, and way of dealing with people were not suitable for this position, and that Saint Gilles should accompany the Warmaster so that the Interrex people would have a more impressive and respectful impression of the Imperial Princes.

However, the Angel Lord told all the petitioners, and also had his officers convey his opinion, that he believed the Iron Lord was currently performing an excellent role as the Warmaster's companion, at least in the realm of Vengeful Spirits.

“Even.” On one occasion, when Radoron, Azcalon, Amit, and the other company commanders were serving the Angel Lord, they heard Sangiles say this: “I think if Perturabo could become even more calm and wise… no, not even more. Just that he remains in his current state by Horus’s side, it might not be a bad thing for the Warmaster, the Empire, and himself…”

He said this with a hint of anticipation, revealing a rare relaxed expression, like Sisyphus pushing a boulder only to find a second shift had arrived.

However, Saint Gilles did not elaborate further on this statement, so the senior officers could only keep their doubts to themselves, or perhaps someone had other interpretations.

In conclusion, thanks to the concerted efforts and coordination of the Warmaster and Saint Gilles, the day of their meeting finally arrived as scheduled.

(End of this chapter)