Roselle Space Orbit, Excalibur, Conqueror-class Cruiser.
The assassination attempt at the planetary governor's Mansion was nothing short of a provocation, a declaration of war against the great Emrys!
Although the assassin was completely melted by plasma, some residual minced meat was quickly transported to space orbit. While the matter was suppressed on the surface, family Head Arthur needed to find out who wanted to extinguish the Emrys bloodline!
The moment Emrys was assassinated, Arthur had many suspects in his mind.
Among them were a certain High Lord of the Imperium, or a Planetary General, or even the mysterious 'Officio Assassinorum' that subtly influenced the course of many events!
But the range of suspects was simply too vast.
It wasn't just the aforementioned factions that coveted the treasures of the Emrys Rogue Trader Dynasty; another Rogue Trader Dynasty was also highly likely.
After all, the dwindling direct bloodline of the Emrys family was inherently connected to that other Rogue Trader Dynasty.
Over the years, their initial minor conflicts gradually accumulated until, by this generation, they had become an irreconcilable feud. Now, under the Imperium's mediation, the two factions had ceased their overt slaughter and entered a covert struggle.
Arthur caressed the mechanical armrest, his eyes flickering with uncertainty, as if a storm was brewing around him.
"Mr. Arthur, according to your request, the gene sequence analysis results are out."
At this moment, a Tech-Priest Magos entered from outside the door, his body hunched like an old man, but with multiple mechanical augmentations.
"It's you, Carol." Arthur looked at the Tech-Priest Magos, his tightly furrowed brows relaxing slightly, and said in a softened tone, "I'm very sorry, I shouldn't have disturbed your research, but this matter is of great importance, and I can only trust you."
Carol held a gear-staff, and his entire appearance was almost completely devoid of human form, more like a precise machine!
The rusty red robe could only barely cover parts of his body; the exposed back revealed boiling green liquid in transparent containers, a mechanical mask on his face connected to a breathing apparatus on his chest, multiple prosthetics installed on his shoulders, and even a servo-skull.
"There's some good news, or what should be considered good news."
Carol's voice was deep and hoarse, like an electric current. His face, covered by a mechanical mask, gazed at Arthur with two crimson electronic eyes: "From a biological perspective, that assassin is far from the level of the 'Officio Assassinorum'."
"This means we can probably rule out the Imperium's involvement."
This news was indeed good news for the current Emrys, at least Arthur thought so.
He couldn't help but let out a self-deprecating laugh, feeling that he had completely overthought things.
If it had truly been the 'Officio Assassinorum', let alone in the banquet hall, even if Emrys had hidden on his own Excalibur, he still wouldn't have escaped death!
The Officio Assassinorum rarely failed; once they designated a target for assassination, survival was almost impossible.
"Then... what's the bad news?" Arthur shifted his gaze to Carol: "Since there's good news, there must be bad news, right?"
Carol leaned on his gear-staff and said in a deep voice, "The bad news is... I detected traces of a 'Daemon' in the assassin's surviving flesh."
"Daemon?!"
Arthur's pupils constricted slightly, and he was immediately somewhat horrified.
He had guessed many possibilities, but he had never considered Chaos or heresy.
"Indeed, it's a sophisticated biological modification, even I am surprised." The gear-staff tapped on the ground as Carol slowly approached, handing the data information board to Arthur: "Someone cleverly implanted a Daemon from the Warp into the body of a 'Null'."
Arthur looked at the biological analysis results on the data board, his brows immediately furrowing into a 'v' shape: "Combined with the Null's characteristics, it can disguise itself as an ordinary human at will, and at the same time, when needed, use the Null field to restrain psychic powers. Is this truly possible?"
"I consulted the research materials of Archmagos Belisarius Cawl; he once discovered similar 'assassins'."
Carol said meaningfully, "These daemon-possessed assassins are extremely difficult to modify, require very harsh conditions, and have a very low success rate. They are generally only used for assassinating high-value strategic targets, such as Space Marine Chapter Masters, Planetary Lord Generals, Knight High Kings, and Archmagos Prime."
Space Marine Chapter Masters, Planetary Lord Generals, Knight High Kings, Archmagos Prime... those were all immensely powerful figures in the Imperium!
In comparison, even for the ancient Emrys Rogue Trader Dynasty, if the assassination target was Arthur, it would make sense. But for Chaos to target a direct bloodline heir who had just inherited the 'qualification' was rather intriguing.
In other words, in the eyes of the Chaos forces, Emrys' value was completely equivalent to those great figures!
But, figures like Space Marine Chapter Masters, Planetary Lord Generals, Knight High Kings, and Archmagos Prime were all influential warlords, whose lives could determine and change the course of the Imperium. What about Emrys?
At most, he was a Rogue Trader Dynasty heir. It's no exaggeration to say that even if the assassination succeeded, besides changing the fate of Emrys, what else could it change?
In Carol's view, even if the assassination succeeded, Chaos still couldn't change anything.
Unless, in the eyes of Chaos' destructive power, the threat of Emrys' future growth was far greater than that of the aforementioned figures!
"Doesn't this just show how amazing my grandson is?"
Arthur listened, revealing a very pleased smile, as if boasting, and said, "You probably don't know, but my grandson is extraordinary!"
"I've been busy with research, no time to get to know him." Carol seemed to have his interest piqued and asked curiously, "From your expression, he seems to have done something remarkable."
At this point, Arthur immediately became animated: "My grandson directly killed a Chosen blessed by Khorne, isn't that amazing?!"
...Directly... killed... a Chosen of Khorne?" Even the well-informed Carol was startled: "Are you sure he wasn't blessed by Khorne?"
"What are you saying? How could it be a blessing from Khorne?"
Arthur glared at him, fuming, and angrily said, "If it's a blessing, it should be the Emperor's blessing!"
Carol, realizing he had misspoken, awkwardly changed the subject: "By the Omnissiah, it must be the Emperor's blessing."
Then, Arthur, as if he had witnessed it himself, began to recount the collected intelligence, endlessly detailing Emrys' exploits on Roselle.
Leading a small team, forcibly conscripted to the front lines, resisting cult invasion, then slaughtering all opposition, forcing the Chaos cult to retreat repeatedly.
Or, venturing into the underhive cult with an Inquisitor, and miraculously coming home alive.
Duelling a Chosen of Khorne, being abducted into the Warp by a Great Daemon of Tzeentch, and then coming home again, and so on.
The more Carol listened, the more absurd it seemed. Was this really an ordinary person?
In his original impression, Emrys should have been struggling to live in the underhive, finally waiting for his family.
But now, after hearing Arthur's description, Carol suddenly understood why the Chaos faction was willing to use a Daemon assassin to assassinate this lord!
By the Omnissiah, this was a living, breathing 'Emperor's Chosen'!
Killing a Chosen of Khorne, surviving a cult-ridden underhive, being abducted into the Warp by a Great Daemon of Tzeentch, and still coming home to live!
Any one of these feats, taken alone, could earn a hero's medal from the Adeptus Munitorum!
But, all of them together would likely attract the attention of the Inquisition.
This boy's experiences were too bizarre; if he weren't the heir of Emrys, he would have long been taken to the Astronomican and burned!
Among other things, just the incident of being abducted into the Warp by a Great Daemon of Tzeentch would be something the Inquisition couldn't overlook. The best outcome would be a bolter round to prevent future problems!
"Your grandson is quite remarkable."
Carol wiped his brow, suddenly feeling a bit worried about the future of the Emrys family.
With such a troublesome individual around, it was highly unlikely to be peaceful.
"Cough cough... Cough cough..."
However, Arthur, who had just been speaking excitedly, suddenly began to cough violently.
He covered his mouth, and black blood seeped from between his fingers, his entire aura suddenly becoming weak.
Seeing this, Carol leaned on his gear-staff and quickly went to the mechanical throne. His prosthetic arm injected a syringe full of medicine directly into Arthur's vein, while he spoke in a heavy tone: "Don't get too excited, control your emotions and calm down a bit!"
"It's fine, cough cough... It's just old injuries."
As the medicine was injected, Arthur's complexion improved significantly. He leaned weakly on the seat, the sparkle in his eyes dimming: "My condition... how is it?"
Hearing this, Carol was silent for a moment. Looking at the weakened Arthur, his emotions instantly dipped, and he said in a hoarse voice, "Not very good, the toxin has penetrated very deeply."
In the face of a life-or-death question, Arthur seemed not to care, his expression unchanged, and he asked calmly, "Carol, tell me how much longer I can last?"
"At the fastest, three months. At the slowest... one year."
Carol's tone was somewhat complex, and he said softly, "If you are willing to lie in stasis, perhaps..."
"No need."
Arthur interrupted him directly, his tone carrying a hint of determination: "I will do my best to train him into a qualified Rogue Trader family Head before I die. As for after that... I hope you can help him a lot, just as you helped me. I beg you, Carol."
In his last sentence, the old man carried a hint of pleading.
"I will, Arthur."
Carol's voice was low, and he tightened his grip on the gear-staff: "By the Omnissiah, I will assist that child as I assisted you."
"Go, I want to rest for a while."
Arthur waved his hand wearily. After watching Carol leave, he slowly closed his eyes.
He had to hold on, at least until he had trained Emrys into a qualified heir, only then could he leave with peace of mind.
"My time is running out."
The assassination incident was suppressed by the tacit cooperation of all parties, as if no one wanted to blow it up, otherwise, everyone would lose face.
The Ecclesiarchy suspected that a certain High Lord of the Imperium coveted their treasure and couldn't resist making a move.
The Administratum, in turn, suspected the Ecclesiarchy, as everyone's pasts were murky, and everyone knew about the messes the Ecclesiarchy had made.
As for the Archmagos of the Mechanicus, their thought processes were a bit different; they suspected a certain Fabricator-General, intending to pin the blame on other Fabricator-Generals!
The remaining Astartes, Albert and ran, were not included in the scope of suspicion. After all, these two Chapters… one was headless, and the other was unhappy, making it unlikely for them to be involved.
Perhaps due to the assassination, Emrys had a sudden idea to train his swordsmanship with Jackal.
After all, his swordsmanship had been criticized as too poor several times. If it hadn't been for Gawain's help that time, he would likely have died at the hands of Khorne's chosen. This recent assassin was another warning; he had to strengthen himself.
"You mean… you want to train with me?"
Jackal's eyes held a hint of strangeness.
"No?" Emrys blinked. Among the people he knew, Jackal had the best combat skills. If he didn't ask him to be his teacher, who else could he ask?
Jackal seemed to realize something and patted his shoulder with a smile: "Kid, your mind hasn't caught up yet. You're now the heir of Emrys. Isn't finding a swordsmanship instructor simple?"
"Oh?"
Emrys immediately became interested, leaned over, and asked, "Then tell me, who should I go to?"
"Nonsense, of course, you go to the Astartes!" Jackal hooked his arm over Emrys' shoulder and whispered, "You know Albert, right? He's a Company Champion. His swordsmanship is considered top-notch throughout the entire Imperium!"
Wait… asking an Astartes to teach swordsmanship?
Isn't that just asking for abuse?
Emrys eyed Jackal suspiciously, suddenly wondering if this old man was taking the opportunity to get back at him.
"Have I ever lied to you?" Jackal glared with wide, round eyes, annoyed, "If you don't believe me, then fine. And here I was, specifically giving you advice!"
After much hesitation, Emrys finally decided to trust Jackal this one time!
However, he soon regretted why he had agreed!
Upon hearing that Emrys needed swordsmanship training, Albert, who was originally squabbling with ran over spoils in orbit, immediately boarded a drop pod and crashed directly outside the upper hive!
From the looks of it, he was afraid that if he was even a little slow, Emrys would change his mind!
In front of the planetary governor's mansion, Emrys looked at Albert, who was like a small mountain, at least two and a half meters tall, and seemed to have undergone 'Primaris' surgical modification. He suddenly had a change of heart.
Damn it… it's a Primaris Space Marine!
Primaris Space Marines were one of the topics Belisarius Cawl discussed with the Primarch, Robert Guilliman. To cope with the darkness of the future, three new implant surgeries were added to the Space Marines' original nineteen modification surgeries, making Primaris Space Marines more powerful, faster, and smarter!
However, the modification surgery was not suitable for everyone. Many original Space Marines had extremely low success rates for the modification. Clearly… Albert was one of the successful ones!
This also made Albert's physique appear more imposing and taller than that of a regular Space Marine, giving Emrys an even greater sense of oppression!
"It is an honor to be your swordsmanship instructor."
The smile on Albert's face was almost uncontrollable.
What was the point of bickering with that old man ran? It was better to use this opportunity to get closer to the heir of Emrys. Wouldn't there be many benefits then?
He hadn't forgotten that before falling into slumber, Butzweg had repeatedly instructed him to forge a friendship with Emrys and ideally get closer, as this concerned the future of the Chapter!
"Mr. Emrys, are you ready?"
Looking at the somewhat slender Emrys, Albert wondered if he should hold back a little, so as not to beat him too badly and cause a loss of face.
But, the butler, Jane, seemed to see through his little thoughts, stepped closer, and whispered, "Captain Albert, please do not hold back. You should know very well that indulging him now is harming him."
"You said that!"
Albert glanced at Jane, confirming repeatedly.
"Of course, this is also family Head Halloran's wish."
Jane nodded calmly and said, "Presumably, the lord came to you specifically with this idea. Please do not hold back!"
"What are you two whispering about?"
Looking at their secretive manner, Emrys, holding his sword, suddenly had an ominous premonition.
Oh no, has he been set up?
But Albert, holding a training sword, stepped into the training ground with his head held high and a somewhat 'ferocious' smile on his face: "Mr. Emrys, are you ready?"
"Ready!"
Emrys composed himself, staring intently at Albert.
However… bang!
He barely saw the other party's movements before he was sent flying by a single sword strike, directly crashing into the training ground wall!
It wasn't until his whole body ached that Emrys' frozen brain slightly cleared. He stared at Albert, who seemed to have 'teleported,' and his mouth dropped open: "What… what just happened?"
"You were sent flying by Albert's sword, lord."
Jane described what had just happened.
"…How about you go a little easy?" Emrys twitched his lips, gripped his blade again, and stepped back into the training ground.
He was certain he had been 'schemed' against!
What Primaris Space Marine? This was clearly here to abuse him, not for any training!
Emrys cast a resentful gaze at Jane by the side of the field. The latter was expressionless but turned her head away.
Alright, alright… it's you, indeed!
"Where are you looking?!"
A strong gust of wind hit his face. Emrys hurriedly turned his head, and what filled his vision was none other than the Primaris Space Marine, like a small mountain, full of oppressive power!
…Throughout the afternoon, the training ground was filled with the clang of swords.
"Too slow! Footwork too loose!"
With an angry shout, a huge impact force came from the sword, tearing several bloody gashes into the tiger's mouth of Emrys' sword-gripping hand.
Thump, thump, thump… Emrys retreated several steps before barely managing to dissipate the force.
Before he could readjust his stance, the blade cut through the air and stopped precisely at his neck. A few strands of hair were sharply blown, revealing Emrys' bitter face.
Lost again… How many times was this?
Emrys was so abused that his mind was a bit muddled. From after lunch until now, for over six hours, he hadn't even touched his opponent!
Abused to the point of tears, Emrys was exhausted. He slumped to the ground, staring blankly at the ceiling.
Albert looked at Emrys, whose stamina was almost completely drained, and couldn't help but say with some emotion, "You're already very good. Don't be too discouraged. At least your combat experience and skills are stronger than those un-modified new recruits."
With praise from a Primaris Space Marine, Emrys was somewhat happy, even if his entire skeletal frame felt like it was about to fall apart.
Of course, he wasn't without gains.
If there were experience points, Emrys could clearly see his swordsmanship, footwork, and so on, rapidly increasing in experience. At least now… he wasn't a swordsmanship novice anymore!