Warhammer 40: My Fiancée Fulgrim.

Chapter 73 The Byzantine Parade
The best way to dispel public suspicion is to engage with them.

During his time on Chemos, Fugrim learned a great deal about diplomatic philosophy.

Whenever she went to a fortress, the first thing she faced was the fear of the locals.

Fear of the unfamiliar, fear of change.

The best way to eliminate it is to face it personally.

Wearing Primarch-level purple-gold power armor, Fugrim waved to the countless curious onlookers.

The capital of Byzantium is a beautiful place.

It may not be very wealthy, but it still retains the marks of its glorious past.

In the distance, rows of houses stand side by side.

Lush greenery climbed over the brick walls of the residents' houses, and the shops along the road exuded the fresh scent of dried herbs. On the other side was a fur shop filled with animal pelts, and the shop owner sat leisurely in a recliner in front of the door, rocking back and forth.

The stone path is not wide, but walking on it complements the surrounding scenery.

Leisure and comfort.

"Lord Collins!"

The elderly shopkeeper seemed to recognize Chancellor Collins standing next to Fugrim and stepped forward with a smile to shake his hand.

It seems that compared to the high-ranking governor, this prime minister named Collins held a much higher position in the hearts of the Byzantines.

The glory of humanity's golden age still remains here.

At that time, Byzantium was mostly perceived as a beautiful garden world.

“I must admit, Prime Minister, that the Byzantines are far more fortunate than those of my home planet.”

Fugrim couldn't help but sigh.

"But even Chemos, who is on the verge of death, will, under our guidance, break free from the age of ignorance and folly and set sail towards the great sea of ​​stars."

“And I believe the Byzantines could do it too.”

Surrounded by countless curious onlookers, Fugrim, accompanied by several of the Emperor's sons, stepped onto the high platform at the end of the street.

The spot where their landing craft docked was also the best viewpoint in the entire capital city.

In front of the harbor surrounded by crescent-shaped land in the distance, fishermen cultivating algae are navigating their small boats, becoming distant starlight.

She stretched out her right hand and waved it into the distance.

"At that time, Byzantines will prosper as much as Chemos, for a very long time to come!"

The crowd behind him erupted in thunderous cheers for Fugrim's promise.

A powerful and beautiful princess from among the stars.

Its unparalleled charm alone is enough to captivate the entire world.

What's more, she also wants to transform Byzantium, which has fallen into despair and decline, back into the paradise that people are talking about!
Feeling the thunderous congratulations from the mortals, Fugrim smiled.

Compared to conquerors like Horus or Lemanrus, Fugrim preferred to see himself as a liberator.

Just then, a scream caught her attention.

It was the emperor's son, Thelma, who followed her.

He accidentally tripped a child who was standing too close to the ground. The child, perhaps seeing such a tall and strange human and armor for the first time, wanted to reach out and touch it.

"Don't!"

Seeing that Thelma was still walking towards the fallen child, Chancellor Collins was eager to step forward and stop her.

But it was too late.

Telma took off her helmet and lifted the little girl who had collapsed to the ground in fright.

As a Chemos, his background and appearance were anything but ordinary. His face, scarred with both old and new marks of war, looked particularly terrifying.

He looked at the other person with that fierce face.

Then he laughed.

"You really should be more careful, child."

Telma's actions seemed to frighten the onlookers, and his fierce face, even when he smiled, still exuded a terrifying aura.

"Telma, you should really think about your appearance before showing any goodwill."

Fugrim took the still trembling child from the embarrassed Thama. She lifted the girl high over her shoulder and gave the anxious mother a kind smile.

Compared to the fierce-looking Telma, the girl was naturally not afraid of a beautiful goddess with a perfect face.

She sat on Fugrim's shoulder armor, clapping her hands and giggling.

“Look at them, sons of emperors.”

“We are the highest, and they are the lowest. Your duty is to lift them up, as high as they can reach. To be even slightly lower would be beneath your dignity.”

This is the consistent principle of the Sons of the Emperor Legion.

While ruling through fear may be simple and efficient, it will ultimately lead to a cycle of resistance and eventual overthrow.

Fear can be overthrown, but love cannot. It rises and falls, but never truly disappears.

Just like the constellation Centaurus in the sky.

“Lessons from Chemos.”

Fugrim handed the child back to her tearful mother and smiled as she looked at the silent Chancellor Collins.

"And I believe that after surrendering, Byzantine will also join us in the great interstellar expedition!"

The cheers from the crowd were endless.

Princess Star won the favor of all the Byzantines present with her great affability.

Chancellor Collins does not appear to be one of them.

"But, sir."

"What exactly do you mean by this expedition—?"

He bent down and bowed deeply, his robe, a symbol of his high-ranking official status, drooping onto the stone pavement.

"Didn't the preacher, Parker, mention this to you?"

"Blood tax. Children from surrendered planets will undergo Space Marine transformation tests, and suitable individuals will become excellent Space Marines and join the Great Crusade."

“And the sons of our emperors generally come from two different backgrounds.”

She pointed to Abdron beside her: "Either they come from the bloodline of ancient nobles on various planets."

“Or perhaps an outstanding young graduate from a military academy.” She turned to the emperor’s son named Telma, whom she had just spoken to.

This is Casca's suggestion.

He had prepared all of this while on Chemos.

Establish military academies in major fortified cities to select suitable personnel.

Recruits selected through formal testing are far more militarily competent than those chosen by other legions through a variety of quirky methods.

"May I ask, when will this expedition end?"

good question.

Fugrim fell silent at that moment.

When will the war end?

She had never considered this question, nor had she ever asked the emperor about it.

"I do not know."

"Maybe soon, maybe never."

"I understand."

The prime minister's face was expressionless.

He bowed deeply to Fugrim and slowly backed away.

Yes, an expedition.

When will this grand expedition, which spans the entire galaxy, come to an end?
Fugrim fell into deep thought.

But then, the whooshing sound of a bullet cutting through the air interrupted her thoughts.

　To be honest, it's impossible to write about Fugen without the scene of him holding the little girl.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)