Traces of Slaughter (I, 3k)

Roboute Guilliman slowly stepped out of the car.

It was already evening. On weekdays, he usually didn't care much about the passage of time, as dealing with various matters was quite time-consuming.

Today was different. He stood in front of the car door, gazing intently for a moment at the setting sun that was about to disappear completely. The dim, yellow light seemed like a subtle farewell, urging people to go home.

A gentle breeze blew by, and Roboute Guilliman lowered his head, tossing all his useless philosophical thoughts into some corner. He would relive these subtle emotions before going to sleep—if he could fall asleep tonight.

"Primarch."

His First Chapter Master Marius Gage, spoke to him from behind in a stern voice, "As per your orders, no one is allowed to approach; we are only guarding outside the school. He has been inside for over thirty-five minutes."

"Anything else?"

Roboute Guilliman turned around and casually unbuttoned the top button of his uniform. The temperature was gradually getting colder, but he wanted to let the chill wash over his thoughts after dealing with official documents.

For no apparent reason, he recalled the descriptions in those supernatural ghost stories.

Monsters usually only appear in the dark.

Why? Are they afraid of the sun?

"That's it," Gage replied solemnly. "No sounds of fighting, no screams, nothing at all. Even the communication channel is silent; he hasn't said a word."

Roboute Guilliman's facial features became taut.

He began to walk, quickly approaching the completely deserted school gate. The massive, heavy iron gate was open, and darkness was gradually descending. Looking inside, one could see a huge playground and some sculptures standing in the center of the playground.

Darkness swallowed all the details. The trees on both sides of the road swayed their leaves slowly in the breeze, and there seemed to be something else mixed in with the rustling sound.

"Where is he?" Roboute Guilliman asked.

"We don't know, Primarch," Gage said with a hint of frustration. "You ordered that his location not be monitored or checked with any instruments, so we turned off all surveillance cameras within the school."

Roboute Guilliman stopped in his tracks. "Don't you think this is wrong?"

"I don't think this is right," Gage admitted. "Absolutely not, my lord."

Roboute Guilliman didn't answer; he simply continued to stare into the darkness. After a while, he began to remove his uniform, and then took off his laurel wreath as well. Gage, watching this, already guessed what his Primarch was about to do.

He sighed.

"I wish Ms. Euten were here, my lord," Gage muttered.

"If she knew what we were doing in Macragge right now, she'd probably be the first to question you, my First Chapter Master."

Roboute Guilliman chuckled softly, then, amidst Gage's helpless expression, gave the order.

"All personnel on alert."

"Are you really going in?"

"Certainly."

Roboute Guilliman, dressed in a uniform shirt, slowly nodded and took a pistol from his belt.

That was his personal prized possession, Meserian Beam Pistol, derived from ancient technology, powerful and reliable. Most importantly, it suited his hand perfectly.

And so, he slowly walked into the darkness.

It was so quiet, Roboute Guilliman thought. It was so quiet it didn't feel like a school, more like a...

It looks more like a graveyard.

He sighed, beginning to feel annoyed with his own thoughts—yes, he was right. After his conversation with Karyl Lohars, he went to work, or rather, spent the afternoon reading ghost stories while doing paperwork.

Therefore, it's understandable that we're experiencing a slight impact at this moment.

As for the latter, he first visited Company Commander Van Cleef in the hospital before starting his work. He inspected the city, covering almost the entire Macragge, but only determined his first work location near dusk.

The Jericho University is a prestigious school in Macragge.

It is a cradle of philosophers and writers, having produced more than seventeen recipients of the highest literary awards in the past century. Roboute Guilliman knows these things very well, almost like the back of his hand.

At this moment, he walked quietly on the campus of the Jericho University, his boots making a soft sound as they touched the ground.

The statues of those great thinkers of the past gazed silently upon Roboute Guilliman from above, and in return, Roboute Guilliman silently called out the names of each of them in his heart.

In fact, that's not all.

He had even read each of their works and still vividly remembered some of the more controversial plots. Literature did little to advance technology, but everyone loves stories; stories were the earliest form of literature, and no one can live without them.

He let his thoughts wander aimlessly, continuing to walk quietly in the darkness.

He gripped the gun, its trigger silently transmitting a cold warmth to his index finger.

This was against regulations; when unsure whether to fire, one should always keep their finger on the trigger guard. Roboute Guilliman knew this rule, but he had to break it.

His gun requires a half-second warm-up time before firing, meaning that if it's going to fire tonight, he'll have to keep his finger on the trigger at all times.

It's almost like a preparation, a commentary on an uncertain future, or a warning?

Roboute Guilliman smiled.

What am I thinking? A warning in advance?

Roboute Guilliman, you're absolutely insane. Not only did you believe those claims, you even got him to put them into practice.

Look at what has become of this once brightly lit philosophical hall, where debates continued all night long.

Dead silence, eeriness, cold

Cold?

Roboute Guilliman stopped and whirled around, but there was nothing behind him. The dark playground stared at him like a giant monster with its mouth agape. A breeze blew by, and his excellent hearing allowed him to hear the rustling of leaves again.

And that feeling remains.

Coldness—it's everywhere.

Roboute Guilliman stared intently into the darkness; he could see through it and take in every single detail. Half a minute later, he confirmed once again that there was no one else on the playground besides himself.

"Primarch?"

Gage's voice came through his dedicated communication headset. "You've been in there for five minutes. How's the situation?"

"Everything's normal," Roboute Guilliman said. "Except that I still can't find him."

Gage sighed, saying nothing, yet it was as if he had said everything.

"Be patient, Gage. This isn't your first time dealing with the Eighth Legion, is it? They're always elusive on the battlefield. Also, how's the temperature tonight?"

"Twenty-two degrees Celsius. What's wrong, Primarch? Why are you asking this?"

"Nothing, just wanted to know," Roboute Guilliman replied calmly. "Keep a close watch, I'll be out in ten more minutes."

He turned around, intending to go check out the teaching building, but at that moment, his movements suddenly froze. Then, he raised the gun in his hand.

Behind him—or rather, directly in front of him at this moment—a slender figure was waiting quietly.

Roboute Guilliman lowered his gun three seconds later.

"Instructor Karyl," he greeted softly. "Good evening."

"Good evening, sir." Karyl Lohars nodded calmly and emotionlessly, standing in the darkness with an indifferent expression, his hands hanging naturally at his sides, his posture relaxed.

Roboute Guilliman was quite certain that he hadn't been there.

He wasn't here, Roboute Guilliman calmly told himself; he definitely hadn't been here just now.

So, where was he just now?

"How's your work going?" Roboute Guilliman asked.

"Very successful."

Karyl said. Aside from this brief assessment, he said nothing more, not even a single additional explanation.

Roboute Guilliman frowned involuntarily. He put the gun back on his belt, conveying his intention with a subtle gesture. As he did so, he kept his eyes fixed on Karyl's, trying to discern his reaction.

However, the giant standing opposite him remained as still as if he were dead; his eyes did not move at all, and he simply stared at Roboute Guilliman.

"Success? I see no evidence to support your claim." Roboute Guilliman decided to take matters into his own hands. "You came here to help me deal with the Macragge threat, Instructor Karyl, and you said you would kill every monster that dared to intrude. Where are the monsters?"

"Dead," Karyl said succinctly.

Roboute Guilliman almost laughed out of anger.

"I gave you my utmost support, Instructor Karyl. I had my legions guard you, and I ordered the students and professors to leave their sanctuaries of research. I even went into your workplace myself when I received no response, instead of having my legions search for your traces! And now you tell me they're dead? Then where are the bodies?"

"In fact, if I could, Lord Roboute Guilliman, I'd rather you didn't even come in." Karyl slowly shook his head. "Besides, there are no corpses."

Roboute Guilliman's eye twitched.

He resolutely raised his right hand and swung it like a sword. "Enough, I've heard enough riddles today. I want to see evidence now, Karyl Lohars, or I'll have to treat you as a fraud."

He stared aggressively at the giant, who returned a silent gaze.

A flash of anger crossed his mind.

"It's happening again, "Roboute Guilliman thought angrily. "That look again, as if I were some clueless child throwing a tantrum. What gives him the right to look down on me like that?"

His anger flared quickly, but subsided just as fast. Roboute Guilliman's fury didn't last long; his rationality quickly restored his composure. After a moment of silence, he made a gesture. "I need the truth."

The tone was firm.

So Karyl could only sigh.

"Come with me." He turned around.

There's also a 4K chapter.