Horus picked up a bronze wine glass, drank the liquor, and drank it all in one gulp, without hesitation.

The servant in charge of pouring his wine had no idea what kind of responsibility it had, and its monotonous programming made it oblivious to the jealousy with which the servants in the corner of the platform were staring at it.

Horus straightened his arm so that the servant could continue his work.

He didn't set his eyes on it, but on the distance.

The sky over Ulanor is a gloomy deep blue, with clouds rolling in the air and rain brewing. Promethium torches rose into the sky, and the white heads of the orcs stared down the road as the victors boasted.

The Imperial troops arrived at their positions in neat uniforms, and the marching phalanx, men and women, in all colors, was gathering order in the midst of the noise. Heavy vehicles and titans stand quietly behind them, walls of steel, unrivaled god machines, representing the most powerful and primal force.

A haze unconsciously flashed across Horus's face, and he turned his head to give a fleeting smile to Chagatai, who was standing side by side with him.

He seemed to want to say something, but he couldn't. Khan didn't ask, just raised the glass in his hand and took a shallow sip.

Clear liquid flowed down his throat, creating the illusion of a piping hot. The man of Chogores put down his glass calmly, gave a low evaluation in his heart, and immediately placed it on the edge of the high platform, which was as thick as the city wall.

The breeze blew and brought a damp rain, and the glass remained calm and unswayed. There was a conversation behind them, especially the rapid and urgent voice of Colus Corax.

"He's never spoken to me in that tone," Horus sighed softly, turning a non-referential phrase into a hammer that broke the silence between him and Chagatai.

"Oh?"

"Corax." Horus said with a half-smile. "After I've helped him so many times, that's what I've gotten in return."

"Your words sound jealous, and your smile is full of falsehood, brother." Chagatai held out his finger and placed it on top of his glass.

He narrowed his eyes, and instead of staring at Horus with his razor-sharp gaze, he hurt the lifeless glass with that gaze. His fingers tapped it lightly, making it make a crisp sound, and the liquor vibrated in it, waving in circles after circles.

"Is this also called jealousy? I'm just describing a fact. Horus said with that unpleasant smile.

"You're just jealous." Chagatai expressed his attitude in a neutral tone. "Karil Lohals is in the situation you dreamed of, and you put in a lot of effort to get it, but you didn't get it, at least not as much as you wanted."

"What are you talking about?" Horus asked, the smile gone.

He put down his glass, placed it on the heavy edge of the platform, and drove the servant away, indicating that he no longer needed its services.

The irrational cyborg nodded stiffly, following the pre-set procedure, and walked away with impeccable demeanor.

Chagatai watched it go away, and there was pity in his eyes.

"You're going to tear it down." Khan said in a firm tone. "Sooner or later, you're going to tear down that poor fellow."

"Why would I do that?"

"You know the answer, everyone has a moment to vent their anger. But I would like to know why you are so upset, what is it that makes you so out of shape today, brother? ”

Chagatai withdrew his gaze and looked at Horus. He still has reservations, and his gaze is mild. Horus had another smile on his face, very light and faint, as if he wanted to avoid answering, but the Khan did not choose to give in again.

He narrowed his eyes, finally letting the sharpness fully bloom. This gaze silenced Horus, who clenched his right fist as the power armor followed the movement of his palm and began to passively increase his strength, with which the hand crunched.

A wave of depression welled up from the marrow of the demigod's body, making the wolfskin shawl on his shoulders tremble. But this convergence of forces is not to attack or hurt Chagatai, but to muster the courage to tell the truth.

After a few seconds, the Prototype closed its eyes and let out a long sigh.

The raindrops of Ulanor fell at this moment.

It came very quickly, hitting the top of the high platform, causing a crisp sound like a shattering.

My anger has nothing to do with Karil Lohals, I'm just angry with him. It's shameful, but I can't stop. Horus closed his eyes and told Chagatai in a low voice. My father told me something, and his words were the source of my anger. ”

"It's strange that you're mad at him?" Chagatai asked thoughtfully. "Is this what really happened, Horus? Would you be mad at the Emperor? ”

"Why wouldn't I?"

The wolf god opened his eyes, and the conversation began until now, and the first genuine smile finally began to bloom on his resolute face. It was a mixture of bitterness and anger, and Khan saw it very clearly, taking in all the emotions.

"I respect him, I obey him, and I want him to be proud of me from the bottom of my heart. His ideal is my life's goal, I understand his greatness, his suffering, and those thirty years have made my ideal and his ideal have long been one."

"But that doesn't mean I won't be angry with him, Chagatai. You know what kind of man our father was, and it was hard to work with him, and his demands would keep people awake day and night just to achieve a short sentence. And now, what he's asking of me, he's—"

A shadow crossed Horus's face.

"How is he?" Khan asked softly.

"—he asked me to take on a bigger responsibility."

"Sounds like a good thing, isn't that what you've been craving? He trusted him more and reused more. ”

"Yes, I do desire these things, but not in this way!" Horus roared.

He raised his hands and laid them heavily flat on the edge of the platform. Even though the original body had consciously controlled most of its power, the little anger that leaked out still caused his hands to shatter the rain curtain, and the surface of the pearl-white hand armor began to be baptized by the rain at this moment.

"Which?"

"Don't knowingly ask, brother."

Horus lowered his head and stared down. His legions were marching solemnly in the rain, and the Shadow Moon Wolves stared proudly at their father, oblivious to the waves hidden beneath the calm expression of the Wolf Shepherd.

"As you can definitely guess, you're an eagle who sees farther than all of us. Not to mention the fact that this matter was unleashed a long time ago, which is not a secret, at least not among us. ”

"Commander?"

Khan spat out the word flatly, as if it weren't anything special. He mentions it in a casual manner, no different from ordinary things like water, cups, and chairs.

After a few seconds, Chagatai smiled.

"I'm already imagining Peturabo's reaction when he hears this, and Ferrus. What a coincidence, neither of them happened to be there. But the lion is here, have you figured out how to deal with his possible doubts? ”

Horus looked up at him, "Don't you think."

"What do you think?"

Horus fell silent again, not knowing what to say, his mind going blank. And the khan spoke leisurely at this moment, his tone was gentle, but his words were extremely sharp.

"I know what you're thinking, Horus. You don't want this position, you want to be the eldest son of brothers, you don't want to get the power to command us and our legions, you know that getting this title will make many of the words you say in the future passively change the meaning, so that there will be a rift between the brothers, but you also don't want someone else to be the commander, am I right? ”

Horus looked at him in a daze, and suddenly smiled bitterly.

"Yes." The wolf god nodded, his jaw tensed. "You're right."

"You know I respect you, brother?" Khan asked again, his tone still soft.

"Yes, I know."

"But I'm going to say now, I'm tired of it." Chagatai finally changed his tone and opened his mouth coldly.

"I'm tired of you transcendent genogenoids acting like characters in a play, and you're psychologically fragile, and anything about him is enough to make you think about it for a long time with that extraordinary brain."

"The playwright does this for the sake of dramatic conflict, but what are you for? Whenever these topics are mentioned, their usual temperament is gone, and they become like children and start competing with each other for things that are not precious at all."

"You just acted like a child, a child who got a glass marble from his father. It's so cheap that it's even toxins because of the raw materials, and you hold it tightly in your hands. ”

"You don't want it, but you don't want your father's other children to get it. It's not jealousy that prompts you to do this, and it's not vanity that prompts you to do it. There's only one reason why you should do this."

Chagatai burst out laughing, and the smile could not be suppressed and began to spread in the faces of the Qiaogoris, was this mockery? Probably not, because there was no smile in his eyes.

"You want to enjoy his love exclusively, the generosity and excellence you show on weekdays are actually for this matter, you want him to love you a little more."

"What?" Horus froze, and then he stammered. "No, no—Chagatai, you misunderstood me!"

"Really?" Khan chuckled. "Perhaps, but I don't know his so-called love at all. All emperors in the world are the same, Horus, look at yourself, take a good look. Where is the general I once respected? Why can't he even speak? ”

"I-"

"—think about it." Khan interrupted mercilessly. "You're still my brother, and I still respect you, but I don't want to see you like that again."

He turned away, and Horus bowed his head, ashamed and began to ponder what he had said. Because of this, he missed the unhesitating back of the Qiaogorisian walking towards the inside of the high platform. He had known the khan for many years, but not enough to know him.

Far from enough.

There is one more chapter.

(End of chapter)