This Order Is Pretty Impressive

"So what exactly is the Order of Origin?"

Arthur and Ramesses exchanged glances.

"No idea."

Ramesses looked at Karna.

Karna wore a bewildered expression.

"I only know Holy Hammer, Rebellion Suppression, and Expel Outsiders."

Those three respectively dealt with Demons, heretics, and xenos.

"Actually, this Order is pretty capable. Though it can't compare to the mainstream three, it definitely has something going for it."

Romulus, who had been chatting with Aglaia, suddenly spoke through the private connection shared by the four of them.

"Hm? Explain."

Everyone was rather curious.

"Put simply, their duty is to consult records, conduct field investigations, trade with Warp entities, and use other methods to attempt to reconstruct the history that has been passed down as myth since the founding of the Imperium."

"And then?"

"And then—naturally, the Imperium's mythical history is tied to all the Primarchs. That includes the histories of each Primarch's homeworld."

Romulus followed up with another emphasis.

"Including Caliban, the homeworld of Primarch Lion El'Jonson."

"Oh."

The three immediately understood, then turned their astonished, You're actually still alive? gazes toward Aglaia, who was still standing before them alive and well.

She was actually a living person?

How rare.

The Transmigrators already considered it a miracle that the Order of Origin still existed.

"?"

Aglaia, who was still trying to gauge the Captain of Slaughter's personality through conversation, frowned.

She did not quite understand the way these towering warriors were looking at her.

Their surprise made it seem as though they were looking at a terminally ill patient who was somehow still lively and jumping about.

Aglaia considered herself fairly healthy. Her stable biomancy also granted her an exceptionally long lifespan.

Even though she possessed an innate gift of foresight, she had never touched Demon lore. She had merely used fleets and Macro-cannons to gather the histories of various planets.

Aglaia sincerely believed that she ought to outlive her mentor, who was gradually descending into madness.

Or had these Deathwatch warriors seen something in her?

Could it be that her mentor had really cast some Warp spell on her?

The young Inquisitor swiftly fell into self-examination, yet could not find anything wrong.

Cold sweat gradually appeared at Aglaia's temples.

Just as I thought. I knew that old bastard had some kind of scheme on Piaerde.

"Lord Romulus."

Aglaia's tone became intensely sincere and polite.

"I hope the Deathwatch can assist me in purging the Drukhari aboard this Mechanicus Ark, in the name of the Inquisition."

As Romulus heard her once again stress the demand to exterminate the Drukhari, he instinctively sensed trouble within it.

But before he could begin probing for information, the sound of metal scraping against rope rose from the elevator shaft.

Everyone turned their eyes in that direction.

Aglaia could only helplessly swallow the words of persuasion she had been about to say.

Clank—

The instant the chains tightened, the rapidly descending elevator came to a steady stop inside the empty chamber.

Upon the mechanical platform, a massive mechanical construct also stepped forward.

And as it approached, the Transmigrators finally understood why this Archmagos was classified as a behemoth unit on the tabletop.

Compared with a cultured title like Archmagos, the enormous thing before them ought to have been called a Steel Behemoth.

"Any issues with the armor?"

"Don't worry, everything's fine. Except for Ramesses II, that coward who's still wearing Mk.II Crusade, all of yours are Mk.IV Maximus that I carefully matched against the data. The paint jobs are definitely fine too."

Romulus reassured everyone.

"I can teleport with psychic power already. Why would I wear Mk.IV Maximus?"

Ramesses muttered a remark, defending his antisocial behavior.

"As for height, there's no need to worry about that at all. Primaris of this average height may be uncommon among Firstborn Space Marines, but they're nowhere near the rarest. Tyberos is even bigger than us—if he wants to wear Terminator armor, it has to be modified from a Dreadnought."

Several of them curiously watched the Archmagos standing so close by, but Cawl did not even glance at them and naturally approached Tyberos instead.

"The cargo," he said, the machinery covering his entire body trembling at a rather harmonious frequency.

Tyberos nodded to Akia, the Third Company Captain, then led several Carcharodons in dragging a massive Black Box out of the transport craft.

Squelch!

The Archmagos thrust one of his mechanical appendages directly into the cargo container with considerable force.

Seeing that the two sides had entered transaction mode, the excluded group, carrying all sorts of inexplicable feelings at being ignored, resumed their unfinished conversation.

"Greetings, Canoness. My name is Orlando, Marshal of this Expeditionary Fleet."

Before the Inquisitor could speak, the Marshal struck his chest with one fist and offered the sisters a formal salute.

"Greetings, Marshal. My name is Arabella."

Arabella immediately returned the gesture with an Aquila Salute.

"May the Emperor's Radiance shine upon us both."

Because both fervently worshipped the Emperor as a god, the Black Templars and the Ecclesiarchy had always maintained a good relationship and gladly fought alongside the sisters.

After briefly greeting the sisters, Orlando turned to Romulus.

He did not recall the Deathwatch being wealthy enough to equip a squad from some remote sector with Mk.IV Maximus Terminator armor.

"I do not recall the captain of the Eternal Hunt Watch Station being named Romulus."

He said it bluntly, his tone as stiff as an interrogation.

"They encountered a Chaos attack while eliminating Drukhari at the edge of the Piaerde Sector. They were wiped out; you may consult Canoness Arabella for the details."

"Apothecary Cypheris Gage fought until the very end, allowing us to recover part of the Gene-seed."

Romulus answered.

"There were no Black Templars among them."

"Are you still carrying out the mission to reinforce Piaerde?"

Marshal Orlando tactfully avoided the subject.

"Of course."

They had come all this way, and they had intended to make the trip anyway. Otherwise, all those people aboard the ship would have died for nothing.

"We can travel together."

Orlando nodded, and the candle flame swayed gently with his movement.

"Are the Carcharodons loyal to the Imperium?"

"Naturally."

The Marshal issued a solemn invitation. "Could you have the Carcharodons Chapter participate in the operation as well?"

Are all Sons of Dorn like this?

Romulus was somewhat astonished by Orlando's poor social skills, then marveled that someone like him still knew to avoid the subject of Gene-seed.

And if you want me and Tyberos to throw down, just say so.

You're asking a nominal Deathwatch squad captain to publicly persuade a Chapter Master. Even if the Chapter Master wanted to go, he couldn't agree now.

"You may personally extend the invitation to the Carcharodons."

He answered tactfully.

"Very well."

Orlando nodded seriously.

The stereotype deepened once again.