Warhammer 40: Doom

Chapter 32 You Must Become Strong Quickly

The royal kitchen. The champion swordsman leaned against the wall, relieved from the tense battlefield, enjoying a rare moment of rest.

A royal attendant just came and told him that he would not be needed in the upcoming battle.

His current duty is to protect the master to whom he serves as a member of the private guard.

Harlan was somewhat surprised by King Norwick's order, but did not question why he was being transferred away from the battlefield.

A king's commands always carry profound meaning; one only needs to wait for the moment when his duty is fulfilled.

Before his eyes was the figure of the Oath Lord busily working at the chopping board—he was skinning and dismembering the orc, breaking it down into ingredients suitable for different cooking methods according to different parts.

Harlan is a focused person, focused on achieving victory.

Doom was also focused, focused on how to cook orcs and make delicious food.

What amazed Harlan most was Doom's exceptional control over his body. His hand gripping the knife didn't tremble at all, and the orc's abdominal muscles, with their alternating layers of fat and lean, were sliced ​​into pieces of flesh as thin as cicada wings.

"Want to give it a try?"

Doom drank a bowl of thick soup made from orc skulls, a look of enjoyment on his face, and asked his personal guard if he would like to try some.

There are no moral obstacles to consuming intelligent species in Nur.

In the distant past, during humanity's glorious era, the empire built around Nur wiped out an alien race simply because they were delicious.

As a sworn guard of Doom and a retainer of the Norwick royal family, Harlan had a close relationship with the royal family and therefore did not refuse.

Personally, he has a carefree personality and is willing to try the taste of orcs.

During the Wasteland Wars, orcs raided everywhere, devouring many wasteland tribes.

Harlan's eyes lit up as he tasted the clear broth, and he couldn't help but nod, indicating that it tasted very good.

The seasoning used only a little salt, which perfectly brought out the sweetness of the orc meat. The aroma of mushrooms and meat blended together to create a wonderful fragrance that was very appealing.

"Try this again."

Doom rolled up the translucent belly meat, dipped it in some sauce, and presented it to Harlan.

Harlan swallowed it in one gulp. The delicate, chilled fat melted in his mouth at the warmth of his tongue, mixing with the tender meat, making it simply irresistible.

He closed his eyes in enjoyment and gave Doom a thumbs-up. He couldn't help but think that even if he didn't become a soldier, he could still win people over with his cooking if he became a chef.

Seeing Harlan's expression of enjoyment, Doom couldn't resist either, rolling up a piece and swallowing it in one gulp.

The moment he swallowed that mouthful of flesh, his face changed drastically, his body trembled violently, and he instinctively covered his throat, spitting out the piece of meat from his mouth.

A breath of stale air escaped from his nose. Doom supported himself with both hands on the cutting board, shaking his head repeatedly to stay awake.

Harlan's expression changed, and he quickly spat out the piece of meat, thinking that the orc flesh contained unknown toxins.

He quickly placed his hand on Doom's chest to check his physical condition, while preparing to call someone in.

His face was grim. He had been a guard for less than two hours, and if something happened to his sworn brother in front of him, it would be an indelible disgrace.

“Harlan Oglie!” A clear voice called out the guard’s name. Doom lowered his head and raised his hand to stop him from calling out.

"Three days ago, didn't you kick the orc down with your left foot and knock it unconscious with your guard spear?"

Harlan didn't pay attention to why Doom asked the question; as a guard, his duty was to obey. He quickly recalled his actions at the time to determine if they matched Doom's description.

"Yes!" came the affirmative answer. He even released Doom and reenacted how he had captured the orc.

After receiving an affirmative answer, Doom waved his hand to indicate that he was fine.

Just now, the moment I ate the slices of savage meat from the beastmen, fragmented, vivid images flashed through my mind.

A tall, white-armored warrior kicked himself, then raised his spear and swept it horizontally, indicating that everything went black. When he woke up, he was already in a cage.

The impact of memories comes quickly, but also goes quickly.

Doom smiled and said to the puzzled Harlan, "I seem to have some amazing skill: by eating flesh and blood, I can learn the memories of the people I eat."

"Does it put any strain on your body?"

Harlan didn't ask many questions about the miracle of the child from heaven; everyone has their own secrets. Instead, he was concerned about the impact on his body, as Doom's expression just now looked ominous.

“No,” Doom smiled at him and pointed to his head to explain, “It’s just a stress response in the brain when receiving external information for the first time. There won’t be a similar reaction in the future.”

Having said that, he picked up a large piece of unprocessed orc flesh, chewed and swallowed it in large mouthfuls, and showed no further signs of the previous stress reaction.

"Your Highness." Seeing that Doom was alright, Harlan nodded and exhaled a breath of stale air, suppressing the trembling in his heart. Then, with an unusually serious expression, he said to Doom, "Such talent is very dangerous."

"Why?" Doom asked, puzzled. Such an ability would be deadly to the enemy on the battlefield. Simply by consuming the flesh and blood of the enemy, one could know their movements and even their combat deployment—an undeniably powerful ability.

“I’m not referring to the battlefield.” Harlan shook his head and looked at Doom. “You should be able to guess.”

“He’s an ally.” Doom’s smile froze. After Harlan’s reminder, he realized just how terrifying his abilities were.

Everyone has some darkness and secrets they don't want to face.

When someone learns that they can acquire memories carried in their genes by eating flesh and blood, even the closest comrades will feel an insurmountable barrier between them.

How can you gain the trust of your comrades and make them dare to bleed in front of you?

“I will keep this secret and never mention it to anyone,” Harlan said solemnly to Doom. “I hope you will keep your secret, not reveal it to anyone, and only use it sparingly when necessary.”

Doom nodded solemnly, understanding the champion swordsman's good intentions.

“At the same time, I need to remind you,” Harlan spoke again, warning the Oath Master: “Use this ability as little as possible.”

"Accepting too many memories of others or other species will inevitably taint your heart, no matter how you adjust and cleanse it afterward."

"As a warrior, the moment you swing your sword, a different emotion arises because of the viewpoints in your memory, and the barrier of your mind cracks, and the sword in your hand is no longer sharp."

“I will keep your teachings in mind. Harlan O’Grivi”

Doom listened intently, taking Harlan’s words to heart, and listened as the champion swordsman shared the invaluable experience he had accumulated over decades of battles.

The champion swordsman Harlan Oglieve, also known as "The Duelist".

He is a powerful warrior responsible for identifying the enemy champions on the battlefield, issuing challenges, and arranging duels between the champions.

He has been a Night Watcher for decades, and he is still alive. His rivals, on the other hand, have all vanished in their duels with him.

Doom asked Harlando to tell him about his experiences on the battlefield, and he listened attentively, occasionally expressing his admiration.

"Your Highness."

As the master and servant were chatting animatedly, a lady-in-waiting interrupted them: "Queen Daisy requests that you come to see her to bid farewell to King Norwick."

"So soon?" Doom asked in surprise. He thought his father would stay longer, but he didn't expect him to leave again in less than a day.

"You have no idea how chaotic the battlefield is."

Harlan knew the reason why King Norwick left: "While the orcs were fleeing, they continued to gather and grow stronger."

“Not only are we hunting, but the knights have joined the extermination efforts, and the orcs themselves are also fighting amongst themselves. Someone needs to be in charge of commanding the battlefield.”

Doom knew that he had destroyed the orc elite by descending from the sky, but millions of greenskins were still rampaging.

They have simply lost their leader, not become defenseless.

Apart from the thousand warriors who remained behind, all the other warriors were thrown into the encirclement and suppression, relentlessly eliminating the orcs' fighting force.

Doom shook his head. It was truly a great pity to throw such a powerful elite force as the Night Guard into an endless war of attrition.

The Gate of Conquest. Guardians of the main domain depart from here on every expedition.

Doom, Queen Daisy, and his second brother stood with the farewell crowd at the Gates of Conquest, awaiting the King of Norwick's troops.

"Where's my brother?" Doom asked his older brother, Flano Norwick, in a low voice.

“He’s working himself to the bone,” Flano whispered in response. “The logistics of all the troops are on his shoulders.”

Just as they were about to ask for details, Queen Daisy gently tugged at her sons' clothes: "Silence!"

Before the sacred and solemn Gate of Conquest, all bowed their heads—some of the warriors who set out from here were destined never to return.

Norwick walked in front, and suddenly stopped when he reached Doom.

He scooped up the bewildered Doom and whispered in his ear, "You must become strong, become strong quickly, we don't have much time left!"

After speaking, he put his son down and looked at him with a complicated expression. In the instant their eyes met, Doom saw a worry he had never seen before.

As he watched the departing troops leave, Doom clenched his fists tightly, his eyes flickering before gradually hardening.

　Please vote for this post!

　　Tomorrow is the day for the weasel to see what the weasel is up to.

(End of this chapter)