40k: Midnight Blade

Chapter 43 43. A Dinner Party (Two in One, End)

A giant in a white and gold-rimmed robe walked peacefully.This is his palace, his ship, and one of the many cages he has built for himself.

There was no longer a single person in the resplendent corridor, and the Imperial Army evacuated everyone in advance, lest they witness a Primarch walk out of the banquet hall aggressively, which would cause unnecessary trouble.

The giant actually knew that Conrad Koz had no malice towards mortals, and his mood was fairly stable now.Moreover, even if he gets out of control, I'm afraid he won't hurt the innocent.

But he was a Primarch after all.

And, he's Conrad Coates.Ordinary people will start to tremble because of the instinctive fear born from blood and flesh when they see him for the first time, this is something that cannot be changed.

Wearing his mask, the giant walked soundlessly down the corridors.

The mirror-like ceiling has been carved with delicate and exquisite patterns with ingenious craftsmanship. Without looking up, the giant can know that his laurel crown will reflect the dazzling and bright brilliance while walking.

The person who designed this corridor was named Mildred, and her family and she felt extremely honored by this great honor.After the corridor was completed, Mildred vowed never to carve, build, or paint for anyone again.

"My hands shall dance only for the Emperor of Man," she said.

The Giant still remembers those words to this day, and he always will.

At that time, he was wearing a mask and standing on the high platform with a blank face. Amidst the cheers of the crowd, he expressed his gratitude to Mildred, who was kneeling and weeping and choking.

"I thank you, Mildred."

But what was he really trying to say?

"No, don't waste your talent. It's not worth it."

He couldn't say it.

He could only watch that outstanding artist die in frantic depression at the end of his life due to the conflict between belief and instinct.

Her family burned her bones into ashes, mixed them with paint, painted them into his portrait, and then treasured them forever and worshiped them from generation to generation.

They regarded him as a god—again.

Is it human nature to stand beside a god, false or not?
He didn't want to think about it anymore, he stopped, and stopped in front of a door.

This door has the same design style as the rest of the ship.A huge double-headed eagle stares relentlessly over the door.

The giant closed his eyes, and when he opened them again, he opened the door and walked in.

It was dark inside, and a shadow watched in the corner.This room is already wide enough, it can even be called too wide, and the furniture in it is also readily available, but the shadow still chooses to squat in the corner.

"Ghost," Neos hissed. "Please don't leave."

"...you speak Nostramo?"

"I can."

"How did you do it?"

"I've learned many languages, including this one."

"Have you studied Nostramo?"

"Yes."

"Have you ever been to Nostramo?"

"No."

"Then how did you learn it?"

"Humanity was a fairly closely connected whole in the galaxy a long time ago."

Neos closed the door, stood in front of the door and calmly answered the ghost's question.He didn't look at the latter, but he knew that the latter was watching him.

"They settled on many planets and developed a unique culture. Although it is different from their home planet, I think this is a good thing, so I learned many languages."

"long, long ago?"

"Yes, a long time ago."

"Have you lived long?"

"I"

Neos was silent for a moment, then shook his head: "No, I have died many times."

"I don't understand."

"It's right not to understand, ghost. It's an abstract concept, and it shouldn't be understood."

"So, what did you come to me for?" Ghost asked hissingly, with a tone of urgency.

Hearing this urgency, the memory of Nostramo language in Neos' memory finally began to recover - this was a helpless move, his memory was too complicated and too huge.

His memory is a huge cemetery, and there are many people and things that only he can remember sleeping together in it.

The Nostramo language that Neos remembered was, for the most part, a poetic language, made and spoken with enthusiasm and confidence by the people who were born poets, romantic and upright.

But not anymore.

Now, it hisses and its pitch is high-pitched.Poetry still exists, but cruel poetry.People who use it have also changed from decent people to murderers, unknowing anti-humans, and workers lingering in pain.

How sad.

He was silent before answering the ghost.He knew silence would intensify the questioning, but he had to—memory. Sweeping.

"...I tried to apologize," Neos said.

"Another apology?"

The ghost's tone became sharper. "I don't need an apology."

"So, at least you need an explanation?"

"...No, I don't need it." Ghost replied stiffly.

Neos finally sighed.

"I didn't talk to you because you no longer need me to teach you. He has done his best to tell you everything you need."

A strange, aching father stares at his strange son and speaks softly.

"You already have a father, you don't need me."

Silence, silence again.When it came again, Ghost realized that he was already a little familiar with it, and this time, he had to break it by himself.

"Conrad Kotz." Ghost asked in a low voice, asking abruptly. "Why did you name me?"

Neos didn't answer.

His vision was freezing, painful ice.

"There are many gargoyles in Quintus, and I've seen many. I numbered them, but I didn't give them names."

"Khalil says names are extremely important. If you give an object, or a person a name, you take responsibility for caring for it. Because it will be forever changed by the name you give it."

"I didn't name the gargoyles because I knew I couldn't take care of them, I couldn't do it. Khalil didn't give me a name either, he called me Midnight Haunter. I asked him why and he just Said he couldn't do it."

"I don't know why he couldn't help it."

"And you gave me that name, and I don't like it, but I'll take it if you want. Lorgar may be annoying to me, but he does have one thing right, and I do feel the difference between you and me. There is a blood connection between them."

"But if you don't want to."

In the darkness, Specter tried his best to ask in his calmest voice. ".Then why did you give me my name?"

Because I used to want to, because I used to be able to.

Neos closed his eyes, and his voice sounded like whispers in the wind: "...because of responsibility."

"responsibility?"

"I have a duty to you," Neos said.

His eyes were still closed, unwilling to open them.But, as he puts it, responsibility is calling.Not the father's responsibility, but another one.

The mask whispered calmly in his mind, trying to cover his mangled face again.Nios refused, he still needs a little time.

Just this little time will do.he said to himself.

"Whether this responsibility includes a normal father's love for his children, I don't know. My emotions and thinking are split, ghost, you can't understand. No one can understand except me."

"So I bind myself with responsibility, and I have to give you names—it's an anchor, ghost. It evokes...emotions in me."

In the dark, someone spoke in High Gothic. "I need you."

Other than that, no answer.

Neos lowered his head.

"Thank you." He said lowly. "Thank you, Ghost."

"You can call me Conrad Coates," said the man in the dark.
-
Khalil heard the growl clearly.

If he had never seen Lorgar Aurelion himself, if he had not been one of those who had witnessed the dinner, perhaps he would not have recognized the growl as a human voice.

But he has seen it with his own eyes.Not only that, but he was the source of this rant.

How interesting. He thought.

The power of a demigod, the body of a demigod, is so noble that ordinary people cannot look directly at the inner spirit but is so weak that it can be easily torn apart by such words.

faith?

A true fanatic will not care about the gossip of non-believers.

He turned around.

The door of the banquet hall was knocked open by a giant with a bang. He had golden skin, and characters danced brightly on it, but his face was distorted to a terrifying degree.

"Apologize to me!" he yelled. "Otherwise, even if you are Conrad's adoptive father, I will make you pay the price!"

"I'm not his adoptive father."

Khalil replied calmly, turning a blind eye to the giant's anger - if someone else was watching this scene, I'm afraid they wouldn't be puzzled, after all, he is also a giant now.

"I've said it many times, he and I are just partners."

"You insult my faith!"

Lorgar growled, completely indifferent to Khalil's explanation, and even seemed not to hear it at all.

"You don't know anything about me! You don't even know what kind of light I see in my eyes, you're just a mere—"

He paused abruptly, abruptly stopping what he wanted to say.

"mortal?"

Khalil smiled and added for him.He doesn't mind it.

"You always say this word with a bit of pity and self-righteous arrogance, as if mortals are inferior to others. But now, at the moment when I am taller than you, you have fallen into silence again."

"I do pity them!"

Lorgar cried out again. "But I never think they are inferior! They are just lost lambs who need to be rescued!"

Khalil sighed wearily, he didn't want to entangle with this so-called demigod any longer.

It didn't make any sense, he had a lot to deal with on Nostramo.The one who was the Emperor gave him and the Wraith a lot of support, even a whole Legion on its way.

Legion.he thinks.Interesting statement.

The tall, armored warriors flashed before Khalil's eyes.

So, it's that kind of legion. A whole one seems to be a bit too much for Nostramo.

"Lorgar, calm down! You've said enough today!"

A voice from the door interrupted his thoughts with obvious annoyance.

Khalil looked up, a little surprised.

He thought it would be the Rogal Dorn, but he didn't expect that it would be the giant who had been silently supporting that Fulgrim at the dinner party.

Ferrus Manus?He said his name silently.

Iron, hand. The former refers to the character, and the latter refers to the fact that he will extend a helping hand to many people?Or, is it simply used to show the pair of silver arms?
Khalil calmly prepared to wait and see what happened, but he didn't expect that Ferus Manus would set fire to him in the next second.

"And you, Mr. Caryl Rohars, I ask you to calm down too, and never use that kind of power again"

The silver-handed giant spread his arms sincerely, and they shone brightly. "They make me uncomfortable."

"Really? I'm sorry, but I only use it when necessary."

"You just used it to stasis us all - I knew early on that you couldn't be just an ordinary person, but I didn't expect you to be so powerful."

As Ferrus spoke, deep wrinkles appeared between his brows.

In Khalil's view, his demeanor at the moment is quite similar to that of Rogue Dorn, but, compared to the cold and direct giant, Ferrus Manus still has a bit of reservation. room to turn.

"Powerful is just a false adjective."

Khalil said noncommittally. "No one is really powerful, because the meaning of the word does not exist in the real world."

"...I have reservations about that," Ferrus said slowly. "But please excuse Lorgar's rudeness—"

"--rude?!"

Lorgar roared again, the Primarch's anger was extremely astonishing, and the golden characters on his skin brightened violently.

He thought that Ferrus would support him, but he didn't expect his brother to say such a thing!

"He's the one who's being rude, Ferrus! He doesn't care about his father's good intentions. He has such a great power to let our brothers live in that kind of place!"

Lorgar trembled and looked at his brother, angry, disappointed, wronged.

"How can you say I'm being rude?! I love our brother, and I'm arguing for him! He's suffered enough on Nostramo, and it's clearly all thanks to this man! "

"It hasn't even passed a day since we met Conrad, Lorgar, we don't know anything about what happened on Nostramo, why do you draw conclusions so arbitrarily?"

The deepness between Ferrus' eyebrows became more obvious and more intense.His expression was very serious, but Khalil could see the hidden anger in the heart of this giant named after Iron.

Ah. Another one with psychological problems.

It seems that there is only one person who is considered normal.Khalil thought helplessly.

"We already know enough!"

Lorgar said aloud, and instead of snarling, he waved his arms like an orator, trying to convince his brother that his gestures were skilled and gifted.

He uses this gift with extreme naturalness, and is completely unaware that he is using it.

"We know Conrad suffered, he was visibly malnourished, didn't we? We knew he had only one rag to wear, and we also knew he believed in this man with all his heart!"

He turned his head and stared at Khalil with real anger in his eyes.

"Khalil Rohars! Don't you dare say you haven't deliberately manipulated our brother into thinking what a sweet father you are? You're just trying to use him to your advantage!"

"You have such great power but let him live in such a house, let him live in such a terrible environment! He is the heir of the Emperor! You hypocritical and shameless person!"

Lorgar flung his arms open in the gesture of a martyred saint.

"Now, are you satisfied?! You have come to the Emperor's Mirage, you have set foot here, there are countless people in the galaxy yearning for such an honor, and you! You despicable villain, you stand here, All thanks to our brother!"

"If you still have a conscience, you should confess to him now! Tell him your true intentions, your true thoughts! Then beg him to forgive you!"

Ferrus Manus slowly clenched his fists and creaked them.

He couldn't bear it anymore, he didn't understand why Lorgar had to choose this time to do this kind of thing—not to mention, his subjective assumptions were too obvious.

If Caryl Rohars was such a man, would their father not see it?
If he was really such a person, would their father really talk to him alone?How could they ask them to solve the problem when they left the banquet hall?

He took a deep breath, intending to speak out to persuade, and he was ready to do it.

Luo Jia has done enough wrong things today, he can't let him continue.

However, someone was faster than him.

"I'm sorry," Khalil said sincerely.

Ferrus stopped in astonishment, and Lorgar let out a loud laugh, but he didn't realize that the sorry was meant to Ferrus.

Then--

"——I really can't bear it anymore, I thought I could, but your words really make me want to"

Khalil sighed, the blue light came again, and this time, he didn't hold back.

"... Burning with anger."

The blue light is fleeting.
-
In the majestic hall, two giants are talking face to face.

"Sorry for hurting your son," Khalil said. "For that I want to apologize to you."

"Everyone has moments when they are dominated by emotions."

Neos said noncommittally. "Lorgar was dominated, so he fell into a rage that he didn't deserve. He blindly looked at the truth he wanted to see, and talked about you - he really deserves to be punished."

"So should I, then," Khalil said quietly. "I was also dominated by emotions."

"...Are you testing?" Neos frowned. "You clearly know my attitude, and you also know that I don't care about such things."

"You should care."

Khalil shook his head solemnly: "An outsider injured one of your sons on your boat. Could it be that you want to be indifferent to this?"

"He did something wrong, made a mistake—"

"—in his opinion he's right, and his love for his brothers is real. Also, sorry to interrupt, but I just can't help it."

Khalil took a deep breath.

He said very fast: "You can't just focus on those lofty goals and plans, I bet you never revealed them to your sons when you made these assumptions, not even once, I'm right wrong?"

"They won't understand."

"You think they won't understand without even saying it?"

"They're just kids."

"child?!"

Khalil's voice suddenly became high, and anger appeared on his face. "You gave them great power and noble status, and then you called them children?!"

"To us, aren't they?"

"What about the others?"

Khalil shook his head. "What are they to other people, to those who are far less than they are?"

"Do you think it's good that you hide all your purposes and then sit back and be a father who only talks to a few people? Isn't Lorgar Aurelion's problem obvious enough?"

"He cut off a side of you and kept it in his own heart, treating him like a god and his own savior! Once he finds out that you are completely different from this, guess what he will do?"

"...he will understand by himself, I cannot change his will."

Khalil raised his hand silently, closed his eyes and rubbed the center of his brow.

He was suddenly very tired.

After a long time, he just spoke again.

"...I thought that a person like you would be a conscientious pragmatist and a realist, but I never thought that you would be an idealist."

Khalil tilted his head wearily.

"You don't want to change everyone with your words, because you feel like these words are kind of an order to them. You think they can figure it out on their own, don't you?"

"They can." Neos said firmly. "I trust them. They have all the goodness in humans I've ever seen."

"Yeah, it also has the shortcomings that all humans have."

Khalil said blankly. "Like inherited from your stubbornness, you brought four sons and they all have this problem. What about the others? Will it be better, or worse?"

"."

"Let's talk about business." Khalil remained expressionless. "For example, the specific situation of that legion, and my future work situation. There should be many planets waiting to be recovered?"

Neos nodded, and he could only nod.

　sneak attack!
　　I have high blood pressure
　　
　
(End of this chapter)