2. Bad News

Konrad Curze Curze is deep in thought.

He stood atop a tall building, surrounded by utter silence.

The night sky, which would normally be a chaotic mess of lights, now appears remarkably peaceful. The streets have been transformed; the areas where gangs had maliciously planted traps have been leveled, traps and all.

Life in the Underhive is incredibly boring, and gangs will do anything to escape this maddening boredom—drugs, killing, alcohol, pure physical pleasure, and the simplest form of entertainment on Nostramo.

Torture others.

They torment innocent people who are simply passing by, in order to enjoy a perverse pleasure and a delusional sense of superiority.

The Night Haunter slowly raised his right hand and placed it on the cold iron railing.

He gently ran his fingertips along its surface, feeling its roughness and coldness, and for a moment felt as if he were in another world. But he quickly shook off that feeling.

Curze looked to the other side of the night and precisely caught a silhouette extending from the top of a building in the darkness. That was Number Six, the one that had been watching over Nostramo for so long.

It was there before, it is there now, so will it be there in the future?

Konrad Curze Curze chuckled silently, then bent his knees and leaped off the building, disappearing into the night like a ghost. He began to run nimbly and freely, as effortlessly and naturally as ever.

A few minutes later, he climbed through a deliberately left-open window and entered another building, where Karyl had been waiting for some time.

He leaned against the wall, leisurely reading a booklet under the soft, dim light overhead. Konrad Curze Curze glanced at it and saw the words "Common Sense" written in Low Gothic.

He closed the window to let the temperature inside rise, and asked, "What are you looking at?"

"Common Sense," Karyl said without looking up. "A manual compiled by Lucretius Corvo. I must say, he's incredibly professional, Konrad Curze. It even teaches how to prepare a simple yet delicious dinner using the provided seasonings and ingredients."

"Does this kind of thing really need to be taught?"

"Not everyone is like you, Konrad Curze," Karyl glanced up at him. "Mastering twenty-three ways of cooking rats is quite an achievement."

"So you also like fried rats?" Konrad Curze Curze glanced back with the same expression. "And I'm not an expert either, I've never practiced it—want to give it a try?"

"No, thank you for your kindness, but let's choose some normal ingredients." Karyl chuckled, put away the manual, and placed it on the long table beside him.

This is a conference room with a dark red carpet and simple decor. The ceiling is high, which is more than enough for them. A large screen sits quietly at the front of the long table, not yet activated, and looks like a mirror, reflecting the two figures at this end of the table.

Curze pursed his lips, unwilling to continue the topic—he now understood why Karyl had insisted he not eat rats back then, and thus, the memory had become an embarrassing fragment that evoked a nauseating urge when recalled.

He walked over to the booklet, picked it up, and began to read it.

Strictly speaking, only three people would be participating in this meeting: him, Karyl, and Lucretius Corvo. Therefore, Konrad Curze Curze did not want to appear too serious—besides, he did not want to tell Lucretius Corvo about the Battle of Harkosus in a serious tone later.

The whole thing was already shocking enough, but if he said it with a straight face and a serious tone...

"Bang, bang, bang."

What perfect timing!

The Night Haunter narrowed his eyes, closed the manual, and placed it back on the long table.

Karyl had already gone over and opened the door. Lucretius Corvo, dressed in a light blue uniform, stood ramrod straight outside, waiting for what was to come—he maintained that strict attitude that he never showed the slightest casualness in formal settings.

Karyl sighed, stepped aside, and let him in.

"You don't have to be so serious, Lucretius." Konrad Curze Curze couldn't help but smile. He gestured for the Ultramarines to sit down in front of him, but Lucretius didn't do so immediately. Instead, he glanced at Karyl first.

"How could I overstep my bounds like this?" the Ultramarines asked sternly. "The seat beside you should belong to Instructor Karyl or your company commander."

"Alright, alright—" Karyl sighed, pulling him to sit down at the table. "—You've worked tirelessly on Nostramo all year, Lucretius, and the results have been truly remarkable."

Konrad Curze Curze picked up where he left off. "We're only grateful to you, so let's try a different approach to this, let's not be so serious. There are only three of us in this meeting."

But I...

"It's alright." Konrad Curze Curze nodded to him, Lucretius, staring into those completely black eyes, had no choice but to comply.

He had dealt with quite a few Primarch before, and in his view, Primarch usually possessed strong emotions commensurate with their physiques. At this moment, what he saw in the eyes of the Night Haunter was a distinct sense of kinship.

This is completely different from Karyl Lohars. Although this instructor is equally tall, he is almost excessively calm most of the time, hiding everything about himself, and it is impossible to see any obvious emotional reaction from him.

"I am very grateful for your hard work this past year," Konrad Curze Curze said after he finally sat down. "And this gratitude cannot be expressed in words, Lucretius."

"Therefore, I hope that you will return to Macragge with a batch of gifts after your three-year term ends. I know you are not doing this for any reward, but I cannot refuse. Also, please forgive me for bringing this up so early; I am really unsure whether I will still be in Nostramo in three years."

The Ultramarines nodded silently— Konrad Curze Curze had completely and flawlessly covered up every point he wanted to refute, and, judging from the current situation, he was probably using Adamantium to do so.

"So."

Konrad Curze Curze paused for a moment and then gestured. "I believe you've already heard what I wanted to talk to you about on your way here, Lucretius?"

"Yes, sir." The Ultramarines nodded, his voice hoarse with some emotion—he wasn't stupid; he certainly understood. Whether it was this private meeting or the worry he'd caught in the Night Haunter's eyes at this moment.

"I must be honest with you, Lucretius, though this may become one of countless buried secrets in the future. But Harkosus has three planets; it is a federation, a lie, and a vicious trap."

Konrad Curze Curze lowered his hands, both of them now resting quietly on the table, his long, slender fingers and the veins clearly visible on the pale backs of his hands.

Lucretius felt a moment of disorientation, not understanding why he had begun to examine the back of a Primarch's hand. His Adam's apple bobbed, and he immediately prepared himself to continue listening.

And so the Night Haunter continued.

"And the First Ultramarines Chapter and your father were in charge of Harkosus III —it's now utterly destroyed, reduced to a pile of rubble floating in the dark vacuum by the orbital bombardment of the Macragge's Honour. But before that, something not so good happened."

"What is it, sir?"

"Your father is injured," Konrad Curze Curze said, while Lucretius began to breathe rapidly.

"He was outmaneuvered. The Harkosus took advantage of his desire to reclaim lost territory peacefully, launching a shameless sneak attack. Dozens of bastards in suicide vests charged at your Primarch at close range. And he was only wearing ceremonial armor at the time."

Lucretius Corvo looked ashen-faced as if he were dying—or rather, already dead— Ultramarines took several deep breaths to calm himself before speaking in a hoarse voice, "Please tell me he's alright."

"Of course he's alright," Curze replied softly. "He's a Primarch, Lucretius. He was just caught off guard by the sudden attack."

"He has fully recovered and is now fulfilling the traditions of you Ultramarines. Remember? Harkosus is a Federation, and he was protecting innocent civilians aboard the last remaining Harkosus I until the Imperium colonial fleet arrived."

Lucretius let out a long sigh of relief.

"Anyway, that's the gist of it," Curze said, looking at the Ultramarines who was still recovering emotionally, and even joked again. "I really should have had my Third Company Captain Fer Zalost, do this."

"Well?"

"This is inside information, don't tell anyone else." Curze winked at him. "When I first returned to the Legion, Fer got a new nickname from his brothers because he often reported some rather bad news to me; they called him the Mourning Bird.'"

The Ultramarines's lips twitched. "That's quite a unique title."

"That suits their character perfectly." The Night Haunter curled his lips into an unmistakable smile. What followed was entirely logical— Lucretius bid farewell and returned to his work.

Although the news shocked him for a moment, he was greatly encouraged to learn that the Primarch was unharmed and might even pass through Nostramo on his return journey.

At the same time, Konrad Curze Curze's mild-mannered attitude gave him a unique sense of pride that comes from being treated with respect. Of course, he was unaware that the very rational and mild-mannered Konrad Curze Curze in his eyes was currently complaining loudly in the meeting room.

"I can't believe Roboute would actually ask me to Deceit his offspring."

Curze covered his forehead, leaned back, and lay down in the chair.

"How long can he stay on that planet? He'll definitely look different by then, and then Lucretius Corvo will find out I lied to him."

"A white lie is nothing, Konrad Curze," Karyl replied softly, his head bowed as he continued reading the pamphlet. "Besides, Lucretius will understand why his Primarch demanded this be kept secret."

"Your tone sounds—" Konrad Curze Curze suddenly sat up in his chair, looking at Karyl's profile with suspicion—" as if you had some plan you didn't want to tell me about again."

Is it that obvious?

Karyl chuckled, shook his head, and said, "The truth about the Warp can't be hidden, Konrad Curze. So, Lucretius Corvo will find out the truth sooner or later, just as he will become a company commander sooner or later."

Will he become a company commander?

"The fact that he was chosen by Roboute Guilliman to bring 499 Ultramarines to support us speaks volumes, doesn't it? The Ultramarines outnumber us far, and Lucretius managed to stand out among his brothers."

"So, I Deceit to a company commander of an Ultramarines," Konrad Curze Curze said, deliberately in a low voice.

"."

Karyl sighed again—this was the third time today—and slowly put the booklet down before turning to Konrad Curze Curze and speaking calmly.

"Your acting isn't good enough, Konrad Curze," he said expressionlessly. "Besides, I don't have any plans I don't want to tell you. In fact, I do have a plan, but I won't keep it from you."

"Really?"

"Of course it's true."

Karyl casually pushed the booklet over, flipped to the last page, and the contents of that page made Konrad Curze Curze's expression turn strange for a moment.

"The Savior of Nostramo."

With a strange expression on his face, Karyl began to speak slowly, his voice low and deep, almost like the automated voice broadcast of a ship.

"Konrad Curze Curze, who came from afar, and his Eighth Legion, saved Nostramo on behalf of the Imperium. I have to admit one thing: the Ultramarines may really be natural-born political geniuses; he's already finding a reason that everyone can agree on for your legitimate rule over Nostramo."

"I—" Curze pursed his lips, his expression extremely complicated. "—Isn't this a little too fast?"

"Well, I don't think so, but it's fine if you don't want to be the ruler." Karyl shrugged and stood up. "As long as Nostramo gets better, isn't that enough?"

He left the meeting room with a smile, leaving the remaining time for reflection to Konrad Curze Curze; after all, time alone is always precious.

As for himself, he had another meeting to attend, a meeting that would take him to the stars.

A meeting with the Sigillites, Malcador.

This chapter is now complete (4kbps).