40k: Midnight Blade.

Chapter 633 16. Interlude: Journey into the Solar System (Part )

Haid thought he would see a magnificent palace.

In his imagination, the residence of the seal holder should be paved with precious marble, hung with valuable paintings or something like that, with crystal chandeliers hanging from the ceiling, and all the windows should be stained glass windows that only cathedrals can have.

The seal bearer himself sat on a high throne, waiting for officials and nobles from various worlds.

His servants would bring here from outside the palace those who accepted others' kneeling worship in their own world, and then, one after another, these people would crawl at his feet and might even take pride in kissing the backs of his feet.

These stories were told by soldiers in the trenches, exaggerated and treated as jokes. Needless to say, they were absurd and ironic, but one thing was certain - in the soldiers' imagination, the seal holder should indeed be treated like this.

Hayed was no exception, but he was wrong.

After the door was pushed open, what appeared before him was completely different from what he had imagined. He did not see a palace, and what he saw was not even related to the word palace.

Hayid racked his brains but still couldn't find a suitable word to describe this place. He could only look at everything in front of him blankly. To him, this place was too messy, but also too big. It had left his imagination far behind.

Even in his wildest dreams, these slabs of stone and piles of documents that rose and fell like mountains and spread like oceans had never appeared. Moreover, there were countless servo skulls.

These awesome and annoying little creatures buzzed and shuttled among the slates and documents like a swarm of industrious bees. But, to be honest, Haid had only seen one insect with the suffix "bee" in his life.

They are called Haslo killer bees and are notoriously ferocious beasts.

Each of these carnivorous insects is the size of an adult man's fist, and the poisonous stinger on its tail shines like a sword in the sun. When people are not paying attention, they will suddenly fly out from the gaps between leaves or in the grass, pounce on the eyes and other vital parts, and pierce the poisonous stinger deeply.

The person who is stung will be blinded immediately, and then fall to the ground in a dozen seconds, unable to move. The swarm will follow closely, crawling all over the victim, biting open the skin, drilling into every hole that exists naturally or is created, and feasting.

The sound they make when eating is not much different from the humming sound made by the servoskulls when they gather together.

Hayid shuddered at the realization. He felt that the "swarm" before him was not much different from the Haslo killer bees.
The strange eyes of the seal holder flashed before his eyes, which was the biggest reason for his shudder. Moreover, the only residual impression still made him feel a strange pity.

Even he was shocked by the emotion - what was I doing? Am I crazy?

Hayid quickly lowered his head, and stood still in the sea of ​​slates and documents, trying to become a stiff statue - but the lion failed to let him do so, and the Lord of Caliban once again put his right hand on his shoulder.
To be honest, this touch did not actually frighten Haid. The strength used by the lion even seemed familiar to him.

In the past, when he was still in the trenches, this kind of arm-in-arm had happened many times, which represented a degree of friendship. It was either to start a conversation, to give confidence, or to start sharing cheap wine or low-quality cigarettes.

Sharing this usually happened at night, when the fighting would briefly stop for dozens of minutes or hours. Soldiers would gather together vigilantly, and the tiny firelight would briefly illuminate each dirty, blood-fog-covered face between breaths.

The smoke lingered and slowly rose, talking to each other, laughing at each other, only the commissars stood aside in silence, thinking. After that, the war would begin again.

So Haid completely understands why some people would call alcohol and tobacco the mercy of the Emperor, etc. What am I doing?
He suddenly woke up and inevitably realized one thing: the memories had never stopped since he stepped into this room.

In the next moment, the lion suddenly spoke, as if he could enter Haid's heart and know all his thoughts. His voice was very low, and Haid had never heard him speak like this before.

"I didn't expect you to do that."

"It is necessary, Leon."

The seal bearer answered calmly. Unlike the lion, there was nothing special in his tone. Haid had never heard anyone speak like this before.

"Perhaps, but I do not see the need. Perhaps I am old, I have spent too much time in the material world, and so my eyesight has dimmed and I have lost my sharpness. Or perhaps you have simply changed. When was the last time we met, Malcador?"

"Twelve centuries ago," said the bearer. "At that time, Spurr was the head of the Council of State."

"Ah, Spurr."

Hayd felt that the lion seemed to be breathing.

"I remember him as a stubborn man to the extreme. He made a deep impression on me during that meeting. He yelled at me in public, asking me to line up and wait, when there was a meeting going on ahead of me. He was almost killed for that."

"He stayed in the hospital for two weeks afterwards." The seal holder said in a flat tone.

"Yes, that's why I said 'almost' - but the perpetrators also received the punishment they deserved."

"I don't think you need to impose any punishment on Captain Korol. He has upheld your dignity as the Primarch in front of everyone. His behavior is fine, both publicly and privately."

The lion pondered, then asked, "What about Spurs? Don't tell me you think there's something wrong with him."

"He is just doing his duty, just like your son," said the Seal Holder.

As he spoke, he still looked down at a document in his hand. The endless gray-white ocean surrounded him, even making his silver hair look ordinary. After a few seconds, he raised his head and looked at the lion.

"Neither party was wrong in this matter. Your son did what he should do, and so did my servant."

Haid listened to this secret in silence, his body stiff. The lion was the same, but his breathing was so quiet that it seemed as if he didn't exist.

"Spurr was in office for 161 years. During his tenure, no official or noble ever bypassed the day's schedule to meet with me. The same goes for their so-called gifts, which were never carefully placed on my desk."

"So, if Spurr were still alive, you wouldn't be able to see me today—" the seal holder raised the document in his hand. "—unless I finish my work."

Haid swallowed nervously and heard the lion whisper, "Respectable man."

"But he's dead."

"Do not say that."

"Why? It's a fact, Leon. He was respected for his character, and that's why he died. He was assassinated by a group of premeditated people on the night I took office again and was sworn in as the Sigillite."

"His replacement walked into my office over his body 21 seconds after he lost vital signs and told me with a smile that it was done."

As Haid wished he wasn't here, the lion sighed. "You did it," he said.

"It's me." The seal holder nodded slightly.

"why?"

"Because Spurr must die." Malcador said. "The rebirth of the Sigillite is an important node in the transition of power in the Empire. The entire rebirth will last for a whole month and end on the Feast of the Emperor's Ascension."

"And Spurr is so upright that even his enemies admire him. So, if he doesn't die, those insects that are stirring in the darkness will not act."

"He must die so that I can burn all the idiots to death in the shortest possible time with the fastest speed and the most appropriate reason."

The lion finally couldn't help frowning, and to Hayd, his voice was almost like a roar.

"You can absolutely—"

"-Yes, I can, but I don't have the time to look up their names one by one and verify their innocence one by one. I also don't want those capable and talented people to waste their lives on this sad thing."

"People's energy is limited, just like their life span, it will eventually run out. They should use their lives for better things, rather than becoming my spies and spending their lives in suspicion, doubt and danger."

Malcador raised his hand and handed the document to a floating servo skull, his tone still calm.

"So, Spur died, and the new ruler took advantage of the situation, getting a cleansed bureaucracy that still works, with only the loyalists and the evil ones with bottom lines and abilities left."

The lion did not answer.

“It’s an endless cycle.”

Malcador walked slowly towards them.

"This happens every time I'm reborn, without exception. Everyone feels that they are the one who can change the world and get everything. Everyone feels that they are very special and can grasp something that the previous person could not have."

"They don't realize their mediocrity, or maybe they do but don't want to accept it. Living in the pain of being awake will drive people crazy, Leon."

He stopped after he finished speaking. At this moment, he was only a few steps away from the lion and Haid.

Hayid had never thought about this, but today, too many things that he had never thought about had happened. They weighed heavily on his nerves, making them numb. The shock had completely dissipated before it even had time to surge.

He turned his head and looked directly at the lion with unprecedented disrespect, wanting permission to leave - he had already realized that the following conversation was probably not suitable for someone like him to listen to.

But the Lions didn't do that.

Haid saw pain on his face, and after a long ten seconds, he heard the lion sighing with sadness.

"Why so, Malcador?"

"It's just a necessary sacrifice." The seal holder said calmly, then turned to Hayid.

There was an indescribable power contained in his gaze, and Haid couldn't help but tremble. Until he heard his voice again.

"I don't think you need an apology from me, Corporal. You don't need an apology from anyone. Even if I did, you would take it as an insult."

Tensing his body, Haid whispered, "Yes, sir."

"But aren't you curious why it was you?"

His question was very touching, and Hayid was completely helpless and could only think silently along the direction he gave. In the final analysis, what the seal holder did was just to express his inner thoughts, so he could not refuse.

——Why me? Haid asked himself.

Waterfalls flowed backwards, meteorites hung upside down, and the genuine twenty years slammed into his heart without the slightest mercy, giving rise to a question: Why me?
This question was raised by two voices, one full of confusion and anger, the other completely different, even with a hint of pride.

One is asking: Why me? Why do I have to go through all this?
The other is also asking: Why me? What is so special about me that I can take on this responsibility?
Haid unconsciously clenched his fists. He had silently swallowed the pain for twenty years, and today he knew that all this was meaningful. His pain had grown into a sword, and this sword would one day cut down the enemies of mankind.

He only knew these things, but it was enough. The worldly honor was insignificant in front of it - even the name of 'Doom Guardian', which he truly regarded as his life, would pale in comparison.

This is the highest honor.

It is meaningless to worry about what he has lost in the face of this honor.

Yes, he is innocent and he was stripped of his honor and wasted twenty years of his life. But if it weren't for this, more people would have to suffer even more in the future.

Hayid took a deep, deep breath.

"I don't care anymore, my Lord," he murmured.

"Why, Corporal?"

Haid didn't answer, but just couldn't help laughing.

The seal holder looked at him steadily. Half a minute later, he raised his hand and made a gesture, and the mute guards opened the door. A servo skull swung over and handed a stone tablet to him. He lowered his head again and pondered in the mountains and the sea.

"Let's go," said the lion. "I think you have got the answer."

"Honestly, sir--" the corporal sighed. "--I don't think we should have come here at all."

The lion was slightly startled, then suddenly laughed. He patted Haid on the back, put his arm around his shoulder again, and led him out of the door. The smell of moist earth flashed by again.

(End of this chapter)