Magnus shuddered.
[Is this Malcador's mission? Okay, okay.]
[I... to be honest, I don’t know.]
He lowered his head and said softly,
[I, I was terrified—you wouldn’t understand! No one could have seen him so furious without trembling! He didn’t seem like…]
Hades sighed and interrupted Magnus's second half of his sentence.
"I understand. I won't laugh at you on this point. After all, you faced his anger head on."
Magnus took a deep breath and continued speaking in a low voice.
[He showed me... everything. I couldn't think straight at the time. I just wanted him to stop being angry and sad...]
"Can you feel his sadness?"
Magnus nodded silently, and the Primarch lowered his head, as if looking at his futile hands again, but he was already blind.
[I feel guilty, and I subconsciously want to make up for it all. I hope he forgives me... but this... this... he doesn't accept it... he doesn't accept it... ]
"You didn't answer my question, Magnus."
Hades's calm voice continued to ring.
"Why the eyes?"
[Because it wanted the eyes! Eyes are the windows of the soul, an organ with great significance in mysticism—you should read some basic mystical books!]
"All right."
Hades said slowly,
"Let the psykers worry about the occult stuff. You're doing this in front of him anyway."
"So you just hope to calm his anger, huh?"
[… and to make up for the mistakes I made. ]
Before Hades could speak, Magnus smiled bitterly and said,
[I did it wrong again, didn’t I?]
"I'm not a judge, don't ask me."
Hades said,
"But I suggest you try to only do what he asks you to do, and don't take the initiative to do anything else."
Hades paced slowly in the room. He felt that there was a trick here. Why did Magnus subconsciously give him a look? But he also felt that since the Emperor was directly present at the time, it should be no big deal.
Even if there is, it is not something Hades can control.
But at least he knew what Magnus was thinking, and Hades understood it. He had indeed seen people who subconsciously wanted to punish themselves in order to gain inner peace because they knew they had caused a disaster.
"So where are your eyes now?"
Magnus paused, and said sullenly,
[Emperor.]
That's all right, Hades thought, the Emperor is already the most reliable person on the human side, even if this guy does have a bit of a gambling nature.
"All right… "
Hades stretched out his voice.
"Malcador does have something to say to you, Magnus."
Magnus was silent, Hades was silent too, and the Red Sinner listened to Hades' footsteps and the change in his attitude from a supervisor. Magnus knew that this would not be an easy task.
All of this was not easy.
Magnus thought sadly, and he spoke, his voice as soft as a fly,
[I can accept that... Go ahead.]
Hades stopped pacing and spoke calmly.
"The army has now reached Prospero, Magnus."
Magnus shuddered violently. He remembered the warm sunshine on the streets of Tizca, the capital of Prospero. The spire of the pyramid library in the distance emitted a crystal-clear light. The humid sea breeze came from the sea side of Tizca, and scholars walked on the spacious streets with books in their arms, talking and laughing.
The stench of gunpowder wafted into his nose. He saw black smoke rising from the blue sky, and raging flames burning everything. People were screaming and fleeing. War would destroy this place, and all the tranquility would be gone.
[They want to destroy Prospero, right?]
Magnus shuddered, feeling his tongue burn at the words.
"I am not the commander, the Emperor is."
Hades' voice was still calm, cold and cruel.
[Don't - don't hurt the people there, just eliminate the ones with psychic powers. They are not wrong, they just want to find a place where they can discuss academics freely.]
Hades stared at Magnus.
"Is there a part of Prospero where psychic energy is completely non-existent?"
Magnus buried his face in his hands, and his voice sounded dead.
[… No.]
Magnus was personally responsible for the use of psychic power in Prospero. The Primarch was so obsessed with using psychic power to benefit the general public that some tasks that could be done with minimal manpower were replaced by psychic power.
"I think he would make the distinction."
Hades' voice sounded,
"After all, he is the Lord of Humanity..."
"So he has given you a mission, Magnus."
[What?]
Magnus raised his head, his eyes covered by white cloth seemed to be looking at Hades in confusion.
"He wants you to order the troops on Prospero to surrender."
Magnus gave a bitter smile in disbelief, his messy hair trembling.
[I know... I should have known.]
He buried himself deeply in his hands again, as if he could hardly accept all this.
[But... asking people to give up resistance... and give up the homes they built to survive is too cruel... it is too cruel.]
Hades wanted to comfort Magnus by saying that he was cruel when he abandoned his fellow Space Wolves, but he didn't say it in the end.
"The Emperor himself has guaranteed that those who are not tainted will be treated kindly by the Imperium if you ask them to surrender without a fight."
Magnus murmured to himself,
[Is there really someone who is not contaminated? ]
Hades thought about it.
"You should have some faith, Magnus."
If Tzeentch wants the Emperor to join the game, then he will definitely not provide a dead end, and he will definitely show some sincerity to the Emperor.
Magnus was silent. He did not speak for a long time. Hades also stood in front of him silently, waiting for Magnus' decision.
Finally, an almost inaudible voice sounded,
[…I can’t say it.]
Hades sighed.
"If you don't tell me, Magnus."
Hades's mechanical eyes flashed red.
"I think the Empire would forge your order. This is a conclusion that can be easily reached through reasoning."
Magnus smiled bitterly.
[It’s too cruel.]
"Perhaps you should get used to this, Magnus."
Hades said kindly,
"Perhaps the universe has always been this cruel, but you were deceived by lies before - and you don't realize its truth."
Hades continued, lowering his voice.
"It is time for you to see this cruel world, Magnus. If you want to hear the story of Mortarion, or the story of Angron, I am always available to tell you."
Magnus's face was covered with white cloth and tears of blood oozed out again. He said dryly,
"I am not one to look forward to the tragedy of others, Hades... Tell me when I can speak to my people."
"Are you really ready?"
Hades asked.
[Maybe.]
Magnus was silent, and he was once again overwhelmed by great sorrow.
No, yeah
(End of this chapter)