You Might Be His Illegitimate Son, Right?

From Priest Aruman's account, Alvin had gotten a rough idea of their past.

Aruman Vella and Tucker had both served in the Astra Militarum's 175th Infantry Regiment, which had fought in hundreds of battles, large and small.

Later, they had been sent to Planet Cadia to take part in that horrific battle. The entire 175th had been all but wiped out, with only a handful surviving by sheer luck. On orders from the Department of the Munitorum, they had retired and settled in the fortress city of Losell, on a world in the Nachmund Gauntlet.

After retiring, the surviving members of the 175th had been assigned various jobs, leaving the chaos of war behind for good.

They had thought that this was how they would spend the rest of their lives, passing their days in the quiet, easygoing Mid-hive.

But, as always, the unexpected happened!

One day, a suspected Genestealer Cult was discovered outside the Nest City, so Garken Hadley summoned the Planetary Defense Force and sent them into the wilderness to investigate.

Of the seven surviving members of the 175th, only Tucker and Aruman had found the assignment too troublesome and turned it down. The other five comrades had all become instructors in the Planetary Defense Force.

But who could have expected that the five comrades and that Planetary Defense Force unit would vanish without a trace?

Garken Hadley had sent two teams of the Planetary Defense Force into the wilderness, one after another, to search for the five missing squads, but they had found no clues.

The five squads had vanished as if they had been erased from existence, leaving not the slightest trace.

After hearing the news, Tucker and Aruman had also formed a team and headed into the wilderness to investigate, but they had found nothing.

That was what had led to the events that followed. Tucker had suspected a cult was involved, and, deliberately led on by Rashid, had assassinated Kallen, the Hadley Family's first heir at the time. He had nearly been shot by Garken Hadley, but after Rashid pleaded for him several times, and evidence suggested Kallen had been involved with a cult, the sentence had been commuted to exile.

After hearing Priest Aruman's account, Alvin had only one thought.

Apparently, Rashid was a collateral relative. But with the Hadley Family's direct line so thin, Garken Hadley had only two sons. His eldest, Kallen, was suspected of colluding with a cult and had been killed when Tucker snuck into his bedroom and blew his head apart with a Bolter. His younger son was still a child.

To protect his young second son, Garken Hadley had made Rashid his first heir, intending for him to shield the boy from the other families' assassins until he came of age.

But now, it seemed that Rashid had orchestrated everything—from Kallen's suspected ties to the cult to his assassination and Rashid's own appointment as heir!

"I'm going to find Garken!"

Tucker's veins bulged at his temples. He jumped up and made for the door.

But after only two steps, Aruman caught him with his mechanical arm. The Tech-Priest's eyes darkened as he said coldly, "How can you be sure Garken doesn't know about all this?"

Those words left Tucker frozen, his legs heavy as lead. He couldn't take another step.

"But he was a hero!"

Tucker struggled to defend him, but his throat seemed to close up. He opened his mouth, yet no words came out.

"Even if he was once a hero, you and I have both seen how terrifying Chaos can be."

Aruman's voice was heavy, his gaze dim. "Even the most steadfast will can hardly withstand Chaos's corruption. Besides, Garken Hadley was a hero sixty years ago. Who can guarantee that he is still loyal to the Emperor?"

That was right. Even if Garken Hadley had once been a hero of the Imperium, who could guarantee that after all these years, he had remained loyal?

Tucker fell silent, but anguish still showed on his face.

He knew all too well how powerful Chaos's corruption could be. He had witnessed the Chaos Gods' terrible might on Cadia, and that was why he understood how hard it was to remain loyal.

In the end, all those tangled emotions gave way to a long sigh.

"How did it go with the people you contacted?"

Tucker was a veteran who had seen his share of combat. He quickly composed himself, turned to Aruman, and asked.

"I contacted an Inquisitor, but he won't be able to arrive for at least a month and a half." As Aruman mentioned this, his eyes flicked strangely toward Alvin before he continued, "The other one is farther away. He'll need at least two months."

Alvin noticed Aruman's glance and couldn't help wondering.

If he had something to say, why look at him?

"Two months. At the current pace in the Underhive, I have a feeling something big will happen in a month and a half at most."

Tucker looked grave. He furrowed his brow and thought for a quarter of an hour, smoking one cigarette after another until the ground was littered with butts. Then he finally said, "I'll find a way to handle this. Contact a few officers in the Mid-hive and get them ready as soon as possible."

"I'll try to contact some nearby Astra Militarum regiments."

Aruman sighed deeply. The situation had grown so complicated that it had completely exceeded their expectations.

With Garken Hadley, the Planetary Governor, involved, it would be difficult for them to stop the cult from rising without an Inquisitor or the Astra Militarum stepping in.

"Wait, Mr. Tucker." Seeing him about to leave, Alvin hurriedly called out, "I want to go back to the Underhive with you. Is that all right?"

Tucker looked surprised. "Did an Ogryn chew on your brain? The Underhive's about to turn into a complete mess. Why go there instead of staying put in the Mid-hive?"

"Mr. Tucker, I know the Underhive is dangerous, of course, but I have a reason I have to go."

Alvin knew a simple lie wouldn't fool Tucker, let alone the Tech-Priest beside him, so he forced himself to say it.

This kid's hiding a lot of secrets. Tucker gave Alvin a meaningful look, then nodded. "All right. I'll take you back."

"Wait, Tucker. He can't go with you!"

Just then, Priest Aruman, who had been silent all this time, abruptly cut in. For once, his expression was stern. "Alvin must stay in the Mid-hive. I'll protect him myself. He absolutely can't go with you to the Underhive!"

What was going on?!

Aruman's tone left Alvin stunned.

Oh no. Had a priest possessed him? Was he really after his body?

While Alvin's mind raced, Tucker noticed something unusual in Aruman's expression. "You have to give me a reason, at least, Aruman."

"No. He simply can't." Aruman shook his head, his expression calm and indifferent. "In any case, he can't go with you to the Underhive. It's too dangerous."

Tucker was at a loss for words. He turned to Alvin, seeming to say, There's nothing I can do.

"Priest Aruman, I have to go to the Underhive." Alvin took a deep breath and looked at the Tech-Priest in the rust-red robes. "I'm very grateful for how you've looked after me, but this is important to me. Even if you disagree, I'll sneak out anyway."

Priest Aruman's face remained expressionless. He slowly walked up to Alvin. At nearly six foot three, he cast a shadow over the boy.

An invisible pressure filled the air. Under the scan of the Tech-Priest's scarlet electronic eyes, Alvin remained calm and composed, showing no trace of fear as he met Aruman's gaze.

Tucker made no move to separate them. He watched with interest, even teasing them gleefully. "At this distance, either they're kissing or they're fighting."

The serious mood was instantly shattered.

Priest Aruman glared at the irreverent Tucker, then gave a cold snort. "Fine. If you're determined to go, I can't stop you. But I have one thing to tell you."

Though the Tech-Priest's concern puzzled Alvin, he still nodded respectfully. "Please, go ahead, Priest Aruman."

"Look after yourself. If things get too dangerous, go find Tucker."

As he spoke, Priest Aruman hesitated for half a second, then took a Gear Pendant from inside his robes, his face full of reluctance. "Take this. It could save your life at a critical moment."

Beside them, Tucker's eyes widened the instant he saw the Gear Pendant. "By the Emperor, you're willing to give him that? This kid wouldn't happen to be your illegitimate son, would he?!"

[Item detected: Deflection Field Defence Device (Fine)]

[An artifact crafted by Adeptus Mechanicus Tech-Priest Aruman Vella. It can automatically defend against fatal damage, and has been blessed by an Ecclesiarchy Priest. It has a certain probability of resisting Warp corruption.]

[Available energy: 1,000 units]

Holy crap?

A fully charged Deflection Field Defence Device!

Before Alvin could finish being stunned, Aruman slowly pulled a firearm of tremendous caliber from beneath his rust-red robes and handed it over. "Trust me. One shot should be enough to solve most problems. If you run into something you can't handle, don't hesitate—run!"

"I'm starting to wonder if you're really Aruman's illegitimate son."

Tucker stared at him with unconcealed envy, practically drooling. "I've asked him hundreds of times for that thing, and he wouldn't even lend it to me. But now he's just giving it to you? This makes no sense!"