Horn's Last Request

Losel Space Orbit, Sword of Redemption, Conqueror-class Cruiser.

The assassination attempt at the Governor's Mansion was nothing short of a provocation, and a declaration of war against the great Valshius!

Although the assassin was completely melted by the plasma, some remaining bits of flesh were quickly transported to space orbit. Although the matter was suppressed on the surface, Horn, as the head of the family, needed to find out who wanted to exterminate Valshius's bloodline!

The moment Alvin was assassinated, Horn had many suspects in his mind.

Among them are a High Lord of the Imperium, Planetary General, or even the mysterious "Officio Assassinorum," which secretly influences the course of many events!

However, the scope for suspicion is simply too broad.

The forces coveting the treasures of the "Valshius" Merchant Dynasty are not limited to those mentioned above; it is also highly likely that another Merchant Dynasty is also involved.

After all, the extinction of the direct bloodline of the Valshius Family was essentially related to that Merchant Dynasty.

Over the years, their initial minor conflicts have gradually accumulated into an irreconcilable feud. Now, thanks to the Imperium's mediation, the two forces have ceased their open battles and entered into a covert struggle.

Horn stroked the mechanical armrest, his eyes shifting between light and shadow, as if a Stormfront was brewing around him.

"Mr. Horn, the gene sequence analysis results are in, as per your request."

At this moment, a hunched figure entered from outside the door, resembling an elderly man, but possessing multiple mechanical modifications— Adeptus Mechanicus Sage.

"It's you, Carroll." Horn looked at the Adeptus Mechanicus Sage, his furrowed brows easing slightly, and said in a gentler tone, "I'm very sorry, I shouldn't have disturbed your research, but this matter is of great importance, and I have no choice but to trust you."

Carroll held a gear-shaped scepter, and he looked almost completely unlike a human, more like a sophisticated machine!

The rust-red robe barely covered part of his body. The exposed part of his back revealed boiling green liquid in a transparent container. He wore Mechanical mask connected to his chest with a breathing device, and had multiple Prosthetic limb installed on his shoulders, as well as a Servitor Skull.

"There's some good news, it should be considered good news."

Carroll's voice was deep and hoarse, like an electric current. Her face, covered by a mechanical mask, stared at Horn with two scarlet electronic eyes. "From a biological point of view, that assassin is far from reaching the level of the 'Officio Assassinorum'."

"So we can rule that out; it must be the Imperium's doing."

This news is indeed good news for Valshius right now, at least that's what Horn thinks.

He couldn't help but laugh at himself, realizing he had been worrying unnecessarily.

If it really were the "Officio Assassinorum," let alone in the banquet hall, even if Alvin were hiding on his own Sword of Redemption, he would still be doomed!

The Officio Assassinorum rarely fail; once someone is identified as their target, survival is virtually impossible.

"So, what's the bad news?" Horn turned to look at Carroll. "If there's good news, there must be bad news too, am I right?"

Carroll, leaning on her gear-shaped scepter, said in a deep voice, "The bad news is... I detected remnants of the 'Daemon' within the assassin's remaining flesh and blood."

"Daemon?!"

Horn's pupils contracted slightly, and he was immediately somewhat horrified.

He considered many possibilities, but he never considered Chaos or heresy.

"Indeed, it's exquisite bio-modification; even I'm surprised." Carroll tapped the ground with her gear-shaped scepter and slowly walked over, handing a data panel to Horn: "Someone has cleverly inserted a Warp Daemon into the body of a 'Blank.'"

Horn stared at the bioanalysis results on the Data Slate, his brows furrowing deeply. "Combining the characteristics of the Blank, they can arbitrarily disguise themselves as ordinary humans, and at the same time, use the Blank's domain to suppress Psychic Power when needed. Is this really possible?"

"I consulted the research materials of the Belisarius Cawl, who had discovered similar 'assassins'."

Carroll said meaningfully, "These kinds of assassins, possessed by Daemon, are extremely difficult to modify, and the conditions are very demanding. The success rate is also very low. They are generally only used for assassination of high-value strategic targets, such as Space Marine Chapter Master, Planetary Lord General, Knight Grand Master, and Forge Grand Sage."

Space Marine Chapter Master, Planetary Lord General, Knight Grand Master, Forge Grand Sage —these are all incredibly powerful figures in the Imperium!

In comparison, even for the long-established Valshius Merchant Dynasty, it would be reasonable to assassinate Horn if the target was Horn. However, Chaos chose to target a direct descendant who had just inherited the "qualifications," which is rather intriguing.

In other words, in the eyes of the Chaos forces, Alvin's value is completely equal to that of those other important figures!

However, figures like the Space Marine Chapter Master, the Planetary Lord General, the Knight Grand Master, and the Forge Grand Sage are all powerful figures who can command the winds and rains, and whose life or death can determine the fate of Imperium. In contrast, what about Alvin?

At best, he was the heir to a Merchant Dynasty. It's no exaggeration to say that even if the assassination had succeeded, what could it have changed besides altering Valshius's fate?

In Carroll's view, even if the assassination succeeded, Chaos would still be unable to change anything.

Unless the destructive forces of Chaos allow Alvin to grow up and face a future far greater threat than the aforementioned figures!

"Doesn't this just prove how amazing my grandson is?"

Upon hearing this, Horn smiled with obvious satisfaction, and said in a tone that seemed almost boastful, "You probably don't know, but my grandson is no ordinary person!"

"I've been researching, I haven't had time to learn about him." Carroll seemed intrigued as well, and asked curiously, "Judging from your expression, he seems to have done something remarkable."

At this point, Horn suddenly perked up. "My grandson, he killed a Chosen of the Gods blessed by Khorne head-on, isn't that amazing?!"

"He killed Khorne's Chosen of the Gods- on?" Even Carroll, with her vast experience, was taken aback. "Are you sure he wasn't blessed by Khorne?"

"What are you saying? How could it be Khorne's blessing?"

Horn glared at him, his eyes blazing with anger, and roared, "Even if it's a blessing, it should be the Emperor's blessing!"

Realizing he had somewhat misspoke, Carroll awkwardly changed the subject. "By the grace of Omnissiah, it must be a blessing from the Emperor."

Then, as if he had witnessed it firsthand, Horn recounted the information he had gathered, speaking eloquently about Alvin's exploits on Losel.

What led a small team, forcibly conscripted to the front lines to resist the invasion of a cult, and then slaughtered everyone in their path, forcing the Chaos Cult to retreat in defeat?

Or perhaps, they storm into Underhive cult's lair with the Inquisitor and miraculously return alive.

He battles one-on-one Khorne Chosen of the Gods, is abducted to the Warp by the Tzeentch Greater Daemon, and returns again, among other things.

The more Carroll listened, the more outrageous it seemed. Was this really just an ordinary person?

In his original impression, Alvin should have been struggling to survive in the Underhive, finally waiting for his family.

But now, after hearing Horn's description, Carroll suddenly understood why the Chaos faction was willing to use Daemon assassins to assassinate this young master!

By Omnissiah, this is a living, breathing "Emperor's Chosen"!

He killed Khorne's Chosen of the Gods, broke into the cult's Underhive and survived, was Tzeentch the Greater Daemon and taken to the Warp, but still came back alive!

Any one of these deeds alone could earn you Hero Medal from the Department of the Munitorum!

However, getting together like this could easily attract the attention of the Vought.

This kid's experiences are too bizarre. If he weren't Valshius's successor, he would have been dragged to the Astropathic Choir and burned long ago!

Putting everything else aside, just the fact that he was abducted to the Warp by Greater Daemon Tzeentch means the Vought will never let him off the hook. The best outcome would be a bomb, to prevent any future trouble!

"Your grandson is quite impressive."

Carroll wiped her sweat, suddenly feeling worried about the future of the Valshius Family.

With such a troublesome person around, things are unlikely to be peaceful.

"Cough cough. Cough cough"

However, just as Horn was getting into the exciting part, he suddenly coughed violently.

He covered his mouth, and black blood seeped from between his fingers; his entire being suddenly became weak and listless.

Seeing this, Carroll, leaning on her gear-shaped scepter, strode to the Mechanical throne. Her Prosthetic limb plunged a syringe filled with medicine into Horn's vein, and she said in a heavy voice, "Don't get too excited. Calm down!"

"It's alright, cough cough. It's just an old injury."

As the medicine was administered, Horn's complexion improved considerably. He leaned weakly against his seat, the light in his eyes dimming. "How am I?"

Upon hearing this, Carroll paused for a moment, then looked at the weakened Horn, her mood instantly somber. Her voice hoarse, she said, "Not good. The poison has penetrated very deep."

Faced with a life-or-death question, Horn seemed unconcerned, his expression unchanged, and calmly asked, "Carroll, tell me, how much longer can I hold on?"

"At the fastest, three months; at the slowest, a year."

Carroll's tone was somewhat complicated as she softly said, "If you're willing to lie in Stasis Field, perhaps..."

"No need."

Horn interrupted him abruptly, his tone resolute. "Before I die, I will do my best to train him into a qualified head of a Rogue Trader. As for what comes after that, I hope you can help him as much as you helped me back then. I'm counting on you, Carroll."

The old man's last words carried a hint of pleading.

"I will, Horn."

Carroll's voice was low as she gripped the Gear Scepter tightly. "I swear by Omnissiah, I will assist that child as I have assisted you."

"Go ahead, I want to rest for a while."

Horn waved wearily, and after watching Carroll leave, he slowly closed his eyes.

He had to persevere, at least until he had trained Alvin into a qualified successor, before he could leave in peace.

My time is running out.