Horus always loved to laugh.

For the wolf herder, the smile is a weapon, a tactic, an attitude, a habit: like the war between the stars, the heir of the legion, the pillar of Terra, in the eyes of Horus, the smile is a natural part of his life, the invincible invisible sword in his memory, the most exquisite half-move in his art.

When did this begin?

I'm afraid even Horus himself doesn't know anymore.

——————

After a battle, the room was a little messy, but you could still find a place to sit and talk.

The genetic prototype of the Sixteenth Legion was a tall figure, even among the demigod heirs of the Emperor, he belonged to the more majestic category, and when he sat down, he still looked much taller than Morgan, like a giant in the sky who had fallen into the clouds, bowing his head and observing a shepherdesss with difficulty.

The wolf herder was dressed in an indestructible set of silver-white armor, the black hideous wolf skin was on his shoulders, his skull was shiny, his jaw was broad, his forehead had light wrinkles, the whole skull looked like a boulder washed by the waves, his skin seemed to be very thin, whenever he made any expression, internal tissues such as cheekbones and sphenoid bones would stand out through his skin, making the wolf herder look a little old.

His breastplate is adorned with patterns such as thunder and lightning, a wolf's head, and scarlet eyes, telling him of his status as the master of the Shadow Moon Wolf Legion.

Whenever Horus's smile appeared on his face, more folds would appear on his cheeks, making him look a little older than his brother, but also more mature and stable.

In Morgan's eyes, Horus's appearance is actually not very handsome, at least in the aesthetics of Lady Spider, the beauty of the wolf herder's facial features is not as good as Johnson's, and his bald head has lost too many points: in comparison, Morgan actually prefers blonde hair, and certain fragments of her genes constantly warn her about the greatness and beauty of gold.

But this did not prevent her from sighing in her heart the unique temperament of Horus: he just sat there and smiled, and it became a kind of friendly aura that belonged to the superior, and he was obviously just a normal greeting, greeting, and chatting, but he could make the person with whom he spoke instinctively feel that it was a great gift, that the greatest demigod was condescending to talk to you because of the noble kindness and open-mindedness in his heart.

You can even trust that his words and deeds are really thinking about you wholeheartedly, and you can trust him completely, because no one in the world cares more about you than he does.

Look at James on the other side, a figure who dares to confront the Lord of Death with silence and attitude, a figure with true reason and wisdom, but his gaze at his genetic father is no different from that of a simple child who worships his father, except for some affinity for his best friend.

Compared to his brothers, the wolf shepherd is like a true prince, a noble heir to the empire......

……

Wait a minute......

Something isn't right.

In the depths of Horus's heart, which Seemon and James couldn't see, Morgan was also slowly frowning: after the almost demagogic light at the beginning, Horus gave her a real feeling, in fact, was very strange.

She has seen five or six genetic prototypes, whether their personalities are kind, whether their morals are noble or not, whether they are cowardly fools, paranoid geniuses, people and beasts who disguise each other, or pure giant babies, they at least have the same characteristic: their essence is not more hidden, the arrogance, talent and smooth sailing that belong to the genetic prototype make them disdain to hide themselves more, Because these emperors' proud sons almost never encounter a moment when they need to compromise on perfection, they don't need, don't agree with, and don't want to hide their uniqueness.

Magnus never thought of concealing even the slightest concealment of his superiority as a scholar, and his actions made the entire Legion of the Thousand Sons consider themselves the bearers of a greater destiny, looking at everything in the human empire with a philosopher's contempt for recklessness.

Although Perturabo maintained indifference and toughness in words, his mind could be seen by anyone with a clear heart, and because of this, a kind of low pressure caused by resentment and neglect gradually rose and grew stronger in the Iron Warrior Legion.

As for Johnson and Riemanrus, who seem to be very far apart, but in fact they are [very far apart], they seem to be more scheming and deep thinking, and hide their true essence well, but their natural arrogance and irritable nature still ruthlessly betray them: if Morgan had been a little hesitant about their essence before, then after Duran's farce, she had seen these two guys in disguise for each other thoroughly.

As for Motarian......

Shh

——————

As mentioned above, the Primitives have always disdained to disguise their true nature, or rather, they have never been seriously disguised, because their positioning and strength dictate that they do not need these [weak tricks].

Concealing one's own strength, making oneself look humble and weak, and then using this low profile to spy on other primordial beings: such an act is completely contrary to the instincts and worldview of these emperors, as well as their insistence on dignity and their pursuit of glory.

So, when Morgan, a weak man who is strong enough, a strong man who is weak enough, steps on the so-called dignity and honor, and uses such a trick on them, unless he is a really smart person, nothing can stop Lady Spider's invincibility:

Once upon a time, her disguise deceived all Primitives, because none of them really cared about her.

Her gaze was peering at all the secrets, because there was no real fear of her.

On top of this, the more important reason is that they may never have seriously observed the mortals around them, just as the sun hanging high has never really paid attention to the thousands of blades of grass that are irradiated by it, and there seems to be no place in their self-pursuit and dreams where true friendship with mortals will be used.

They are not cautious enough, not open-minded enough, and transparent enough......

Not smart enough.

But Horus, perhaps, was an accident.

——————

Morgan couldn't see through him.

For the time being, I can't see through it.

Apparently, Horus was better at disguise than some of his brothers, perhaps because of his nature, or perhaps by an instinct forced to conceal something.

Such people.

It doesn't seem to be a natural prince.

Morgan's eyes narrowed, and she let the corners of her mouth hook in response to the impeccable friendliness of the wolf herder, and at the same time, her heart was spinning at high speed, thinking, and analyzing: since Johnson [was exposed] her true identity, the long days of rotten life even made it take a few moments for Lady Spider to enter a state of thinking and probing.

And apparently, this time, the same people became interested in her essence, and it was no longer a monotonous snoop, but an interesting mutual temptation.

——————

"I've heard of your reputation a long time ago, Ms. Morgan."

"Maybe you haven't even noticed how famous you are, and anyone who pays attention to this war will notice your merits and abilities, and you have made more contributions than any dark angel."

Horus sat there, watching with satisfaction as Morgan's pupils sank into a kind of ignorance in his words.

"You never cared before this?"

[My days in the First Legion have taught me not to care about honor, Lord Horus. 】

"Indifferent to fame and fortune...... That's a good thing, but there's no need to be so exaggerated. ”

Horus smiled, his smile seemed to have an extraordinary magic, and the wolf shepherd slowly spoke the words word by word, as if they were the truth in the galaxy.

"Actually, I'm even a little curious, Ms. Morgan, have you never received an award such as an award or an honorary title in the First Legion? At Shadowmoon Wolves, we often honor mortal heroes, after all, they are brothers who fight alongside us. ”

She hesitated, as if she was really thinking about the words of the wolf shepherd.

[The First Legion does not care about honor, Your Excellency, the Lion King of Caliban prefers to infiltrate the values of responsibility and dedication into every corner of the Legion. 】

Horus blinked, he even looked a little pure and innocent, but in his sight, the silver-haired lady from the First Legion seemed more innocent and transparent.

Horus's smile continued.

"Truth be told, Ms. Morgan, I know quite a few of the Ancient Warriors of the First Legion, and I had the privilege of fighting alongside these great warriors before my brother returned, and I remember the time when these Terrans accepted the honor, they actually needed it, even occasionally."

But the lion doesn't need to. 】

Her words were so firm that Horus fell into a very brief silence.

"That's what my brother told you?"

[Not just me, but everyone in the entire First Legion.] 】

The wolf god nodded, his pupils flashing with speculation.

"I hope so......"

He was silent for a moment, as if digesting the information, and then leaned back, seemingly casually.

"But then again, the First Legion does need honor, and they deserve any honor in the galaxy, after all, they are at war with a formidable opponent, one that may have never been seen before."

"This fact alone is enough for every Dark Angel to be honored by the Emperor himself."

[Sounds great, but the lion may not like it.] 】

"yes, but it's true, and I know it...... My brother sees responsibility as his honor, doesn't he? ”

[So to speak, Your Excellency. 】

"So, I'm curious, is this war that has been ignited in the north of the galaxy an honor in the eyes of my brother? After all, this is his responsibility, and looking at the galaxy is a unique responsibility. ”

【……】

The question seemed to stump the silver-haired lady of the First Legion, and she lowered her head and fell into a long silence until Horus smiled and patted her on the shoulder.

"Well, this is my gaffe, Ms. Morgan, and I apologize to you."

The wolf shepherd was laughing, making that hearty, apologetic laugh, but there was not even a hint of a smile in his pupils, but a glint of thought.

"I'm just a little worried, I used to have a lot of friends and acquaintances in the First Legion, but now it's hard for me to hear about them anymore, they're all Terrans, and they're famous warriors, you've probably heard their names and even fought side by side."

Horus then spat out the names of a dozen of the Dark Angels, all of whom were indeed Terra, some of whom had died in battle, while the rest continued to serve in the Legion.

However, in Morgan's answer, there were only war dead and missing.

"Being missing in the galaxy is not a good thing."

When Horus said this, the corners of his mouth did not press.

"They look like they need a funeral, with the corresponding decorations and honors, and as Johnson's advisor, you should remind him to do that."

[No one can reverse the will of the lion, Lord Horus, not even a veteran of Terra. 】

Horus tilted his head slightly, he nodded slowly, a satisfied smile on the corner of his mouth, a sincere smile that could be called fleeting.

"Seriously, Ms. Morgan, this war has been so brutal and protracted that I even fear the real situation of the First Legion - Johnson is always so stubborn and stubborn, he doesn't seem to want to accept our help."

"But the Emperor clearly gave him the power to issue proposals and orders to the various legions as the commander-in-chief of the front, and to tell you the truth, this is the first time such power has appeared, and I never thought that the Emperor Ash would give such an order before."

"But...... Why wouldn't Johnson make good use of it, it would make this war a lot easier, wouldn't it? ”

【…… I can't give you an exact answer, Lord Horus. 】

【…… Maybe it's just ...... Don't want to? 】

"Why?"

[The First Legion has not settled the war and the situation, and it is useless to have many people. 】

Horus laughed, looking at Morgan's ignorant and serious face, and a hint of banter and smugness crossed his heart.

"The First Legion is indeed strong, Ms. Morgan, but they are not the strongest, and perhaps not the most trusted and relied upon."

[That's true.] 】

The corners of Horus's mouth curled, this time with pure pride.

[But if the First Legion really eliminated Ran Dan, this unprecedented opponent would be enough to prove that the First Legion was the most powerful and trustworthy one for the Emperor, wouldn't it? ] 】

“……”

Horus's laughter came to an abrupt end.

(End of chapter)