Houguin, one of the six wings of the Dark Angels, Lieutenant of Deathwing, felt his stomach churning.

His sword hovered coldly on his belt, its weight comforting him countless times, but not this time. His winged helmet rested in the crook of his left arm, and like him, he waited strongly,

The reason is because of the actions of the master and the original body that he swore allegiance to at this moment.

The lion of Caliban stared at him, his face did not fluctuate, his muscles did not work, his skin did not tremble. He can hardly be called 'expressive' now. With his hands behind his back, he stood at the front of a long table supported by steel pine and observed Houguin.

The table was made of one of the tallest trees in Caliban, as tall as his original was among them. And now, the gaze projected from those lofty eyes was completely studying him, even dismantling him with a scalpel.

Houguin endured all this, and straightened his back obediently. He revealed his heart and showed his neck to the original body.

His attitude can almost be called pleading.

The lion didn't miss it, he withdrew that unbearably sharp gaze, and began to ask in earnest.

This was not the first time he had done this, and many people had already been questioned by him long before Houguin.

In the corner of the hall was a door open, black as if it were made of stone, with delicate lines. Six recorder servants in dark green robes were writing behind the door, surrounded by handwritten papers, one of the proofs of what the lion had done before.

"You swore by it, Houguin." The lion narrowed his eyes and spoke slowly. "You're not a Caliban, you're from the homeland of all humans, but that doesn't stop you from joining the Order. Raise your left hand. ”

Hou Guin did as he was told.

His original body then stepped forward and took his left hand. The terracotta steel armor blocked out more touch, but it didn't stop the lion from raising Hou Guin's left hand.

He stared at the lieutenant's face and said, "You have had your palm cut open by a sword, you have sworn with your blood that you will protect the people, and you will abide by every rule and constraint within the legion, and you will never divulge any secrets. Tell me, Houguin, do these two vows still exist for you? ”

Lieutenant Deathwing's face flushed - for the first time in his life, he had lost his taciturn and tenacity.

He wasn't a direct lieutenant yet, but he already had enough prestige within Deathwing. His brothers trusted him, and so did the Primordial. However, just now the lion insulted him verbally.

"I swear they're still there! Original! The lieutenant roared in reply, his voice reverberating through the hall.

He had no reproach or resentment about what Leon Altheensen had done, only a desperate attempt to prove his idea.

"So, will you be honest with me, Lieutenant?"

"Unless I die." Houguin looked at his original form and repeated it firmly. "Unless I'm dead, Primordial."

"Good." The male lion nodded at him, and a smile finally appeared on his face that had never been more serious.

He nodded to Houguin, put his arm around his shoulder, and spoke again in a low but affectionate tone: "The honor of knights is not to be tarnished, do you agree with this, little brother?" ”

Hou Guyin's heart warmed slightly—his original body finally called him by this title again.

"I absolutely agree." said the lieutenant.

"Yes, but the honor of the Order is being stripped away now." The lion said in a low voice. "The honor we have earned with our own hands, the merit we have earned by leaping over the corpses of our enemies with blood and death, is fading."

"It was covered with a veil, and the blood of the loyalists stained it red and corroded it. We are surrounded by shame, Houguin. ”

The lieutenant's face flushed again, and this time, from unease and anger. He gasped and waited for the Primordial's next words.

"And this shame was actually forged by our own hands." The lion stared at him coldly, his green eyes like merciless gems.

"We are the Emperor's Angels of Death, and we have done more to kill and destroy than to save, and there are many loyal who have died at our hands. They don't have to die, but we don't have the right to keep them alive. ”

"For the sake of all mankind, they must die. Sacrifice is necessary, even for ourselves. We've shed more blood than they did, but"

Little by little, the male lion let go of his hand and left the lieutenant. He turned around, shook his head with his back to Houguin. Blonde hair fluttered, and some kind of coldness flashed.

But we never deprive others of our honor." The male lion turned his head sideways, his face cold as ice, and said the last words to Hou Guyin.

"We can stain our hands with the blood of the loyalists, and we can make them disappear, die, and die for the sake of other ordinary people. But we're not going to let them become deserters, right, Houguin? ”

The lieutenant was silent for a few seconds, and his face quickly turned pale.

"You—you mean—" he began to gasp for breath. "-Someone.?"

"Yes." The lion said. "So, go there and report all the events that have passed through your hands to the recorder."

He raised his hand and pointed to the stone door.

"Grand Instructor Luthor will be listening, as will my brother Conrad Coetzes and the instructor of the Eighth Legion, Karil Lohals. They represent the Terra side, so you know what to do. ”

I see." Houguin bowed his head, turned around, and walked behind the stone door without fear.

He introduced himself to the three people present, and Luthor already knew him, with a reassuring smile on his face, as if encouraging him to tell the truth.

His self-introduction was mainly directed at the other two, who were almost identical to Hou Guin's eyes. The same pale, the same black hair and black eyes, the same thin and tall body.

The only difference is that one is a little taller and seems to be a little more ruthless.

It took him half a second to determine where he should begin, and then he began to talk about it without pause, as if he had planned it or talked to others every day. In fact, it is.

Every dark angel who performs these things is asked to remember all the people they execute.

Time passed, name after name was raised continuously, and the fate of missing, killed or sacrificed in battle rang out one after another in his cold voice.

Luthor had long since stopped smiling, and Houguin's posture didn't allow him to use the corner of his eye to observe the reactions of the other two. He just went on as the recorders waved their arms as they recorded his words.

He continued to speak for seventeen minutes before it ended. And at this moment he immediately saluted them and departed.

Luthor sighed inwardly, forced himself to put on a smile, and spoke to Conrad Coetzes, "My lord, please forgive Brother Houguin for his reticency. He had always been like this, never a bubbly person. ”

"I understand." Coates replied softly, his pale fingers tapping at the armrest of the chair. "But you seem nervous, Captain Luther."

"I'm a little nervous, sir." Luthor nodded, acknowledging his emotions at the moment. Of course, how could he not be nervous?

Leon Elzhuangsen trusted him and knew what he was capable of. As a result, the Lions left a large part of the legion's operations to Luther.

According to the process, the officers of the Legion were able to decide for themselves which loyalists were forced to sacrifice to humanity. However, after that, they were all to report the matter to Luthor in full.

In other words, the first person to be held accountable for this matter was actually him, Luthor himself, and no one else.

But the lion didn't do that, and he decided to let the officers report before then. Luthor wasn't sure what he meant, but was even more worried.

His fear was not that the lion would be angry with him, but that the Order's honor would be curtailed, and that Leon El Johnson himself would be disgraced.

Although, at present, it seems, this stigma has actually formed.

Luther smiled bitterly and added, "I have no intention of hiding this, I am indeed nervous, Master Coetzes. This is not something I can control on my own, after all, as you can see, I am not a complete Astarte. ”

He shrugged his shoulders and laughed self-deprecatingly, waving his arms and gesturing up and down, pointing out something in a clever way. Without saying a word, Coates bowed his head slightly, and said no more, but the man behind him spoke.

"But that doesn't stop you from getting honors." Carlil said in a soft, but serious tone. "I don't know much about the First Legion, but you clearly value ability and honor to the extreme. There is a connection between the two, and if you can take on this position, it means that you are no worse than Astarte. ”

"All the knights who have come to this room have looked at you at least once, and there is a fervor in their eyes that they want you to show them a little support. That means they respect you, so don't be presumptuous, Lord Luther. ”

Luthor nodded, smiling slightly gratefully—but, while thanking Carlil for his comfort, he was also genuinely alarmed by his insight.

"Next!" The voice of the lion came from outside the stone door, and in the hall, his figure was still tall, and his armor was shining. The door was opened, and the sound of the iron boots colliding with the ground rang out, and a hoarse voice followed: "Primordial, I'm coming." ”

"Very well, Coswayne, I have something to ask you"

Luthor lowered his head and sighed softly in his heart. Combined with what the lion had said many times, and the reports, he almost understood what the Terra side was sending for.

There are no impermeable walls under the sky, and Luthor doesn't think what the Legion does can be covered up forever. But what he really didn't understand was

Why could a matter within the Legion that he didn't even know about be passed on to Terra?

There is one more chapter.

(End of chapter)