Warhammer: Hail to the Void Lords!.

Chapter 1030 09.1029: 'Touch of Conspiracy'

"And then you actually led troops to participate in the Battle of Polaberia? Wasn't your behavior at the time tantamount to openly going against the Calicus Ministry of the Interior?"

"The sector governor, Mario Haxes, would probably be furious at such a defiant act that disrupts his grand strategy," Horatio analyzed, taking into account the circumstances at the time.

"Perhaps this is what makes love blind."

The old man proudly raised his head. At that moment, he seemed to have transformed back into the formidable young general, proudly declaring, "I am the only Starbound Army general who led the army into battle despite the dual resistance from the Ministry of the Interior and the Ministry of Military Affairs."

I personally led my 300,000 elite troops, honed on the front lines, and decisively defeated a siege of 1.8 million Greenskins at the gates of the capital city of Polyberia!

His voice suddenly rose, filled with the clanging of swords and spears, as if a tragic war scene were unfolding before one's eyes.

"The mountains of corpses and seas of blood outside the city have formed new mountain ranges, and there are so many green-skinned corpses that there is no time to dispose of them properly."

We could only burn it with fire. The raging flames burned for three days and three nights, the thick black smoke and spore ash obscuring the sky and turning the moon an ominous dark red. The entire planet was filled with the scorched flesh of aliens and the punitive aura that purified everything.

When news of my early exit reached Sintira, all my noble colleagues, who had been waiting for the Porabelia knights to die before reaping their spoils, looked at me as if they wanted to tear me to pieces. But I didn't care!

The Duke's voice was full of contempt: "I don't care how the world judges my love for Maria, whether it's a utilitarian transaction or political opportunism."

All I know is that I fulfilled my promise to her. I defeated the Greenskins' tide, preserved Pola Bellia as it is today, and saved this planet from their clutches as a gift of marriage.

Horatio could clearly sense the old man's heartfelt pride and arrogance as he spoke of his bravery and glory in his youth.

"However, as expected, after blocking the enemy from the front, a sneak attack came from behind." The Duke's tone changed abruptly, the warmth in his voice quickly turning into a chilling coldness. "After defending the capital of Pola Bellia, our Lana family became the target of everyone's attacks."

In an effort to appease the other powerful noble families, the Calissis Ministry of the Interior disregarded the fact that I was the one who brought about the turning point in this war, and instead forced me to remain in place when I tried to press my advantage and expand my gains.

The ultimate victory was easily won by the late-arriving noble families of Sintira.

Regarding the postwar handling of Polaberia, my previous actions were characterized as "acting on my own initiative," and I completely lost my voice at the Victory Conference.

What I call a reward is actually a humiliating demotion in disguise.

Sector Governor Mario Hax deliberately favored other powerful families in Sintira, allocating all substantial benefits—mines, land, and trading rights—to them.

The Lana family, aside from winning the engagement to the High Princess, gained almost nothing.

Horatio could almost picture the resentment and hysterical rage that the once spirited young general must have felt when faced with the hypocritical faces of those opportunists at the victory banquet.

This may be the current state of the empire.

The amniotic fluid at birth is the greatest watershed dividing social classes; illustrious heroes are destined to be trampled underfoot by shameless opportunists, becoming stepping stones for their own ascent; while those high-ranking rulers act solely out of narrow family interests, not for the future of humanity. A chill ran down Horatio's spine as he recalled that terrible nightmare—in which he became the corrupted leader of the Lower Nest, using his mutated, twisted arm to personally kill Farida and overthrow the rule of the entire Abyss Harbor.

Yes, if it hadn't been discovered that Spiel's bloodline flowed through his veins, what kind of situation would he be facing now? Would it be even more brutal and treacherous than that dream?
“That’s it,” the Duke suddenly chuckled coldly, interrupting Horatio’s thoughts, “some people are even trying to take Maria away from me.”

“Take your mother away from you…? What do you mean?” Jadwiga couldn’t understand the meaning of those words.

"What happened? What do you mean by taking away the High Princess?" Horatio keenly sensed the danger hidden in the words. He looked at the fully armed guards around the Duke and seemed to have guessed something. To verify his guess, he immediately asked.

"According to the sacred and ancient Imperial Code, all Imperial Knight families are registered with the Imperial Ministry of the Interior of Holy Terra and are directly conferred titles by it."

"To forcibly transform Polaberia from a knightly world into a colony, serving as the capital of a star sector, is beyond the capabilities of the Calesis Ministry of the Interior, Governor Mario Hax, and the opportunistic noble families."

The Duke slammed his scepter on the ground, the hard base striking the quartzite floor tiles with a resentful, sharp sound.

His hand, gripping the jewel at the top of the staff, trembled with bulging veins and extreme rage.

"As long as the legitimate heir of the Supreme King still exists, then Polaberia will remain a knightly world in law."

In the Calicis sector, no one can change its nature. Unless... unless the Vadisław royal family becomes completely extinct.

A chill instantly enveloped the entire garden under the night sky.

"Driven by those powerful, invisible hands, the dark tentacles of assassination have quietly reached out to Maria and our children."

The Duke paused, letting the bloody words ferment in the air.

Then, he slowly turned his head and stared intently at his daughter with a look that was a mixture of pity and coldness.

“Yadwiga, do you really think that the medical malpractice that happened when your mother gave birth to you... was just a pure accident?”

Overwhelmed by the sheer volume of information, Jadvig's mind went blank. She staggered back a step, covering her mouth with one hand and letting out a suppressed, muffled sound.

The whole world seemed to begin to distort and spin before her eyes; her father's face became blurred, and all she could hear was the deafening pounding of her own heart.

All the tragedies in her life—her mother's early death, her father's indifference, her lonely childhood—were given a completely new and chilling interpretation at this moment.

A ruthless glint flashed in the old man's eyes, and in an almost whispered, utterly calm voice, he delivered the chilling final verdict:
"Someone wants your mother, you, and your brother to go to hell together."

(End of this chapter)