Only the angels and the Khan were the calmest spectators after the farce, but the calmness on the surface did not mean the calmness inside. Too much was exposed in the quarrel between Mortarion and Lorgar - but the two parties were not aware of this at all.
Sanguinius blinked, hiding his confusion.
The archangel stood, he raised the glass, the crystal wine flowed in the glass, his eyes looked through the wine, more dazzling than diamonds, purer than gold, so that your soul could tremble under his innocent gaze.
[Horus, I am sincerely happy that you can bear this crown. ]
Horus sat aside, his lips showing a little fatigue. He smiled faintly and waved his hand. After a crisp clink of glasses, the two men drank the wine in one gulp.
In the luxurious room prepared exclusively for the Warmaster, the two close friends had gotten over the awkwardness of the previous test and began to speak freely.
Sanguinius once again teased and congratulated Horus. The Archangel described in detail to Horus the sincere blessings of his brothers. Upon hearing the news that Horus was promoted to Warmaster, Fulgrim cheered happily, the ascetic Lorgar showed a long-lost smile, and Dorn expressed the highest respect and blessings to Horus.
And Sanguinius himself, he was sincerely happy for Horus... The Warmaster could only be Horus, and the angels could hardly imagine Horus facing a future without him as Warmaster.
Horus smiled and responded to the angel's questions one after another. Sanguinius was far more enthusiastic than usual - were they using the excitement to cover up something
Horus was lost in thought, his hand unconsciously stroking the sapphire necklace he had just been awarded. The gem was cut into the shape of the Eye of Terra, symbolizing the power and glory he had gained.
[My father gave me this.]
Horus said this abruptly, but he was not referring to the necklace. The Warmaster carefully pulled out a small box from the side chamber where the knife was pinned on his waist.
He opened it, and the angel saw an old gold ring.
*[This ring was made a year before he was born.]
*[He said I was his Centaur, and wherever I went, the Legion would be with me.]
The angel smiled gently, his eyes sparkling.
[I am almost jealous of you, Horus.]
But rarely, Horus did not respond to the angel's words. He held the small box and remained silent for a moment.
The eloquent wolf shepherd god stuttered.
[He, I mean I can expect this gift. We are his descendants and his generals. He gave me power and entrusted me with his trust. He gave me the sharpest sword without reservation.]
The angel tilted his head and listened patiently.
[But... there's more to it.]
Horus carefully put the ring box back, then he reached out and took out another ring box from the other side.
The angel raised his eyebrows in surprise.
[He gave you two rings? ]
Horus nodded slowly, and the angel saw a rare hesitation and indecision in Horus' eyes at this moment - he was confused.
He opened another box.
The angel held the wine glass firmly in his hand, and the wine in it suddenly caused ripples.
[This is a... a mud ring?! ]
The angel's voice was slightly lost for a moment. He saw a crudely made mud ring with a stone-like bone plate simply pierced with grass stems. It didn't even look like it could be worn - it was too fragile.
[… I am as shocked as you are. ]
The Wolf Shepherd God spoke slowly, his voice calm but slightly trembling.
My son,
Horus spoke, and the angel realized he was repeating the Emperor's words.
"This is a ring I made as a child. I used it to help me thread a needle and mend clothes."
The Emperor spoke calmly, his light that had dazzled Horus fading. Malcador stood shadowily behind the Emperor, his hood obscuring the old man's eyes.
"It was made after the first murder."
The first murder in human history, Neos' uncle killed Neos' father. Since then, the boy named Neos became the emperor. He killed his uncle and completed his first revenge.
"Lupercal, both you and this ring were created after the first murder."
The emperor's tone was flat.
"I'm sorry that I can't take you and the humans back to the days before that."
[Father?] Horus trembled slightly, [I don’t understand?]
The cold eyes stared at him, which was totally different from the smile when she handed him the gold ring. There was too much drowned in it.
"You have been brought into a cruel world, a world where murder, revenge, and fratricide have already occurred."
The Emperor said as Malcador swayed slightly behind him, but Horus completely ignored the mortal, who stared at his father in confusion and uneasiness.
"That's not my intention."
The emperor paused.
"At least after I saw you, my first found son, Lupercal, I realized that I was as cruel as the world, that I ordered a child to face a world where murder had already taken place."
Horus grinned, trying to smile.
[Father, I can bear all this. I have led the legion to conquer countless worlds. I will not be stingy with my bullets. I will let the flames of war burn fiercely. The extermination order is not an unbearable sin.]
The Emperor still stared at him, and he looked sad, like a father who could not raise enough money for his child's journey, even though he had given him the legions of the entire galaxy.
"… I believe you can do it, Horus, and face it as I have, faced this world, faced the First Murder."
The Emperor continued speaking, staring at the clay ring, and Horus seemed to see the ring gleaming with golden light.
"A ring is usually a piece of jewelry that symbolizes wealth, power and status."
“But in ancient Terra, it also appeared as a practical tool.”
The Emperor was silent.
"I want you to take it with you."
Horus paused, and carefully picked up the ring from the small box. He could feel the angel bending beside him, staring at the clay ring in silence and caution.
The angel lowered his voice to a very low level,
[He may know what you will face, Horus—but he still chooses to believe in you.]
Horus slowly turned the clay ring,
[But... what will I face?]
———
"The empire's current force against psionic species is the Order of Silence, led by Hades, the Lord of the Order of Silence. They are now fighting the World Eaters in the Ultramarine."
"Just like the Imperial Guards, you can notify them, but you can't command them directly. The right to assist in the battle is in their hands."
Malcador reported the previously missed work expressionlessly, after the Emperor and Horus had performed the fatherly and filial piety show in front of him.
He watched as Horus pretended to listen carefully to the old man's words, but in reality, the wolf-god's thoughts were definitely on the Emperor, not Malcador's words.
Malcador sincerely hoped that Horus would use his little head that had been overwhelmed by the Emperor's words to understand why the report of the Order of Silence was the only one omitted and emphasized after the Emperor said those words to him.
And then there was Mortarion - Malcador had no idea how much Hades had told Mortarion, but he was sure that Hades, the type who always leaked things, had said almost everything there was to say.
Malcador finished his brief report, and the old man returned gloomily to his backstage.
The Emperor coughed.
"Lupercal, you can ask the Order of Silence for help in dealing with matters concerning psionic species and the subspace."
———
[He also hopes that I will communicate more with the Order of Silence.]
Horus spoke,
[The Order of Silence... This, like its leader, appeared too abruptly.]
Horus said thoughtfully, and Sanguinius beside him looked dim for a moment.
Just now, the archangel stopped Fulgrim in the hope of learning more information. Mortarion obviously knew something, and so did Lorgar.
The angel spoke softly and patted Horus's shoulder armor.
[The deeper we go into the galaxy, the more psychic species we encounter. I think this may be his intention to better eliminate psychic species.]
Horus lowered his head and continued to stroke the ring with his fingertips. He remembered the soldiers in the Moon Wolves who were possessed by creatures from the Warp.
[It looks like I may have more psychic trouble in my future—You were with Mortarion just now, my friend?]
The angel's wings trembled slightly.
[Yes, I chatted with him, Fulgrim, the Khan, and Lorgar for a while.]
Horus sighed softly.
[I hope he gets along well with Fugen? ]
Sanguinius looked away silently. Well, actually, Mortarion should not have gotten along well with Fulgrim - but then Lorgar came.
Finally, the angel carefully considered his words.
[Fulgrim seems to have a little dissatisfaction with Mortarion's etiquette, but they generally get along well.]
Horus laughed and sighed loudly.
[I know, angel, you must have hidden it from me - I should thank you for your kindness.]
[You care about Mortarion?]
The angel asked his question. Considering the angel's status as a close friend of Horus, this question was quite provocative. He looked at Horus cunningly, and Horus laughed loudly, but shook his head helplessly.
[I am the first Primarch to return to our father, the Angel, and he once told me that he hoped I would be a good brother.]
[You have always been a good brother, even though you are now the Warmaster.]
Sanguinius said gently, and Horus waved his hand.
[The second Primarch to be recovered was Leman Russ. I still remember standing there, filled with anger - I couldn't accept that someone had come in and taken away the Emperor's attention from me.]
The angel silently encouraged Horus to continue speaking, and Horus spread his hands.
[But then... I found out that Russ was not what he seemed. He walked into a room with me and immediately took off his wolf skin.]
As if remembering something funny, Horus laughed.
[To be honest, I was shocked, even terrified, but I also realized that my brothers were already adults, and I could no longer be hostile to them from a child's perspective, so I started to communicate with you in an adult way, which really helped me get through that difficult time.]
The angel laughed, too.
[A calm and rational Russ, sorry.] Sanguinius laughed louder and louder, the thin chains on his wings jingling. [You may be the only one who has seen him like that, Wolf Lord.]
"Yes," Horus said happily, "I later realized that my role as your elder brother allowed me to see a different side of you."
The Wolf God paused and touched his ring again.
[It was the same with Mortarion. The first time I saw him, I realized that this would be a big trouble. The aura on him was too unique, and he didn't carry many traces of civilization.]
Mortarion even appears to have had some farming experience, as evidenced by his skillful use of his scythe.
This was so shocking to Horus, a Primarch who couldn't even survive on the supplies given to him by others, he had to farm by himself - not even go hunting, a Primarch who hunted with a gun was much more acceptable than a Primarch who farmed with a sickle.
The angel looked at Horus, and he remembered the scene of Mortarion mixing the cocktail just now.
[Perhaps he himself enjoys it... But I understand that you have a sense of responsibility for him, Horus, is that right?]
Horus lowered his eyes, smiled awkwardly, and continued to touch his ring.
[General communication methods do not work on Mortarion. He is very wary of sensing malice and hypocrisy.]
So you tried a less mature way of communicating, Horus
Horus nodded.
[I also feel guilty. I didn't expect Curze to suddenly explode. This is my fault. I could feel that Mortarion had just established trust in me. ]
The light in the angel's eyes flickered.
[He cares about that Death Guard, doesn't he?]
This sentence immediately pulled Horus out of his emotions. The wolf god straightened his back. This was also his ultimate purpose in turning the topic to Mortarion.
[I am very concerned about the relationship between the Death Guard and the Order of Silence. Angel, did you hear anything? ]
Sanguinius shook his wings and his expression became serious.
[I just happened to hear a lot,]
Sanguinius said,
[It seems our father was far more wary of the Warp than we thought.]
————
The Emperor stood there, silently watching the wolf god's figure go away. Behind him, Malcador's hoarse voice sounded from the shadows.
"My Lord, do you really love them equally? Is the love you give to No. 16 exactly the same as that given to No. 12?"
The Emperor took the initiative to suggest that Horus have more contact with the Order of Silence. This was not part of their plan. It was more like the Emperor was subconsciously thinking about Horus.
The Emperor was silent for a long time, and then the Lord of Mankind slowly spoke.
"Lupercal... He is the most human being."
4.1k! Today I updated 6k+, no more, great!
Oh, by the way, the two asterisks are the original sentences, not me being gay.
(End of this chapter)