Warhammer: Hail to the Void Lords!.

Chapter 1024 09.1023: 'Duke Rana's Deal'

The air in the study still smelled of gunpowder.

The Duke's anger had not yet subsided, but his good manners allowed him to suppress the rage stemming from the family matter in the presence of a distinguished guest.

He tried his best to calm himself down and not direct his pent-up anger at the tall naval officer in front of him.

“The Imperial Navy,” he said, his voice hoarse and deep, “you’re the one who appeared on the news broadcast today.”

It seems he is already familiar with Horatio's identity.

The elegantly dressed old man, adorned with gold and silver, took a cigar from a silver box on the table, snipped off the head with a fine cigar cutter, and then lit it with a flint lighter in a very refined manner.

He seemed to be deliberately erasing all traces of his past as a soldier, a stark contrast to his daughter who was almost always in military uniform.

"This is a small gift prepared for His Excellency the Duke."

Horatio walked forward with a smile and placed a beautifully wrapped gift on the huge mahogany desk.

"When I was on Minerva, I had the privilege of fighting alongside Your Excellency's children. Major General Jean Lannes and Colonel Jadvig both performed with exceptional bravery and competence."

Their contributions were indispensable to our final victory. I believe His Excellency the Duke's meticulous upbringing was crucial in raising such outstanding children.

Hearing this perfectly timed compliment, the man's brows relaxed slightly.

“Everyone says they are excellent, and I know that too. It’s just a pity that these two young people are unaware of some deeper missions, such as… their family responsibilities.”

He abruptly changed the subject, ignoring the heavy gift on the table, and continued smoking his cigar until the pungent smoke obscured his face.

"No one visits a temple without a reason. Speak, what brings you here today, Your Excellency? Do you want a smoke? Top-quality cigars, from the most prestigious plantations in Polaberia."

Horatio shook his head and politely declined.

"I am setting up an orbital landing force and would like to inquire with you about the official stance of the Calicus Military Affairs Department on this matter."

As the Sector Quartermaster General, you have extensive connections and are well-informed; you should be aware of this.

Horatio stopped beating around the bush; having already stepped into the study, leaving empty-handed was not his style.

"Your investigation is quite thorough. What, are you from an intelligence background?"

[Wrong, it's your daughter who told me everything about you.] Horatio thought to himself.

"During my time at military academy, I served for a period of time at the Military Intelligence Command of the Gothic Fleet."

"I've heard that Yadviga is now under your command." The Duke suddenly cut off the previous topic, steer the conversation toward his real purpose, "Name your price. What do you want, how much, what intelligence do you need? You can list it all here today. I only want one thing."

The man didn't directly reveal any information Horatio wanted to know, but instead began to talk about buying and selling his children's future in the tone of a pure businessman.

He stared intently at Horatio with his weathered eyes and said, word by word, "I want Jadwiga to be removed from the army and then come back."

"..."

Horatio did not answer.

"Security Department." The man picked up the brass landline phone on the table and dialed a number. "Immediately dispatch the most elite guards of the official residence to seal off the main building."

I don't want any uninvited guests tonight.

"Yes, sir." A respectful and steady voice came from the other end of the phone.

Soon, squads of guards dressed in magnificent blue and white uniforms were drawn from various posts in the manor to the main building of the official residence.

Armed with precision laser guns, they patrolled like ghosts, searching every possible blind spot and every shadow that might be hiding an eavesdropper.

"Now we can speak freely, Your Excellency. You need not worry about being overheard." The Duke hung up the phone and leaned back in his chair. "This is not directed at you. It's just that we are in the political heart of Sintira, in the throne room of Sibelius's hive, where the Empire's most skilled agents and spies reside."

They could be employed by any of our political enemies. Therefore, for the sake of our mutual reputation and future, I need to take some necessary security measures.

After all, what we're about to discuss, if it gets out, won't be good for either of us.

"Then I'll be frank with you, Your Grace. Colonel Yadvig's personnel appointments are not currently in my hands."

She remains, in principle, a member of the Sintila Republican Guard, but is temporarily seconded to my orbital landing force.

All I can assure you is that I will do my best to ensure her safety.

"No, don't try to fob me off with that."

The man leaned back arrogantly in his large leather chair and let out a sneer. "Do you really think that I, a former general of the Star Force, am completely ignorant of the internal structure of your Imperial Navy?"

"Hmph, if even a Supreme Lord Colonel doesn't have authority over his officers, what's the point of the Navy sending you to build this force?"

He stubbed out his cigar in the ashtray, stared at Horatio with his sharp eyes, and continued, "Jean Lannes's little schemes are nothing but child's play to me. He knows very well that he won't be able to protect his sister in the army."

"Neither the Republicans nor the nobles would risk offending the Quartermaster General for his own petty schemes. Nobody!"
They all rely on me to allocate military supplies, but the military district's resources are always limited! Of the ten supplies, how many will go to the Republican troops and how many will be allocated to the noble army depends entirely on my word.

He's my son, and he understands better than anyone that if he completely disobeys me, his precious troops will be left with nothing but stones to fight the enemy. I hold his Achilles' heel; he can't defy me.

"Because he knew he was about to lose his sister, and you just happened to arrive. As a member of the Imperial Navy, you're not directly under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Military Affairs, so he hurriedly handed his sister over to you like a hot potato."

[So that's why Jean Lannes was in such a hurry to put his sister into the orbital landing force...] Horatio thought to himself.

"So, you can't fool me with your claim that you have no right to govern Yadvig. But I won't make things difficult for you, young man. We are all nobles of the Empire, and nobles should maintain their dignity."

My request is simple: kick Yadviga out of your unit and send her back to her home country. What happens to her after she returns to the Republican Guard is my family matter and none of your business.

All you need to do is stamp a small sealing wax emblem, and I assure you, your process of assembling your orbital landing force will be incredibly smooth.

Throughout the Calissis sector, you can choose from the best military training bases; and the finest military equipment, however much you need, you can have.

But if you refuse, I also have the ability to make it impossible for you to move an inch.

Horatio stared silently into his eyes. The atmosphere between them was tense, as if invisible lightning was striking each other in the air.

[Willpower...18...? How can it be so high?]
Horatio instantly saw the parameters related to this man before his eyes.

He had intended to use his powerful mental strength to psychologically pressure the man and force him to submit to his will. But...
Unexpectedly, the other party's willpower was so astonishing.

No, if his will was so firm, why did he leave the army back then?

Horatio's strange behavior made him realize that there was something else going on behind this man.

The tense atmosphere lasted only a short time before Horatio suddenly smiled.

He began by asking, "Serving the God-Emperor is a sacred and glorious thing. The tradition that only nobles can join the Sintira flintlock regiment is proof enough of this."

But I have noticed that Your Excellency seems to both be enthusiastic about the military and deliberately distance yourself from it.

Can you tell me why you are so determined to separate your daughter from the military? I believe it's not entirely because she bears the obligation to continue the family bloodline.

Otherwise, it would be impossible to explain why you would resolutely choose to leave the Imperial Army when your prestige was at its peak, as staying in the army would obviously be most beneficial for you to expand your family's power.

His sharp gaze pierced through the other man's layers of disguise, pointing directly to the man's deepest core motives.

(End of this chapter)