As Klaurund turned beneath the sky, the light of the life-giving star was gradually swallowed by the endless horizon, and the unsettling dimness of approaching night began to engulf the sand-choked land.
Within that growing gloom, dozens of figures appeared before the settlement known as Tren.
They wore finely crafted light armor and purple-black hooded cloaks, and on their specially made shoulder plates was engraved a purple heather crest.
A force with such a distinctive style was clearly the private guard of a hive noble house.
At the head of the group stood a youth so pretty he was almost unnervingly beautiful, with soft white curls falling to his shoulders like flowing water.
His blood-red lips curved slightly upward as he gazed with a gentle smile toward the settlement ahead, where scattered lights were dotted like stars.
His armor was obviously more exquisite than that of the others, and on his chest was a peculiar emblem.
It depicted a ram's head devouring a heart.
He waited in silence for something, until one of his soldiers came jogging back from the road ahead.
"Young master, there are about one hundred and twenty households ahead."
"It may not be possible to redeem them all in a single night."
The youth thought for a moment and was about to speak when the lookout in the rear quickly ran up to report:
"My lord, people are approaching from behind. A little over five hundred. Judging by their equipment, it's a Conscript Regiment."
That unexpected report made the youth's delicate brows knit slightly.
According to the arrangements, those Conscript Regiments should have been on the front lines, using their worthless lives to slow the advance of those stupid Orks.
Why would conscripts be coming this way?
Could they be deserters?
He pondered for a moment, then said in a clear and pleasant voice:
"Let them come closer."
Before long, a Conscript Regiment moving at a rapid forced march appeared at the edge of their vision.
At the same time, following the direction Gaia had pointed out, Commissar Horne spotted the dozens of figures.
After ordering the whole regiment to halt in place, he shouted toward them:
"I am Commissar Horne of the 72nd Conscript Regiment. Are you the residents here?"
Horne's words were answered by a burst of harsh laughter from ahead, followed by a mocking voice:
"Peasant, just because you were raised rolling around in filth doesn't mean everyone else is trash like you."
The guard who had spoken was about to continue hurling insults, but the noble youth raised a hand to stop him.
He responded in a refined and gentle tone:
"We are not residents of this barren little village, but rather come from the spires of the hive city."
"I heard from my father that the brave conscripts were fighting on the front lines for the safety of the planet. May I ask why you have appeared here instead?"
Commissar Horne frowned. Though he was loyal to the structure of the Imperium, the man's arrogance and barely concealed mockery still made him uncomfortable.
He opened his mouth, about to answer the question, only to be interrupted once again by the sharp voice of that same guard:
"The young master is asking your little herd of swine to send over a proper representative to speak in front of him. He doesn't like wasting his voice shouting like this."
"Your throats, soaked in filth from birth, wouldn't be worth half a Throne Gelt even if ripped out, but one drop of saliva from this lord could buy your miserable lives ten times over!"
Horne took a deep breath and gave Gaia and Solomon a nod. The three of them stepped away from the formation and walked toward the man who was very obviously one of the spire nobles.
As they drew near, the youth's appearance became clear enough for all three to study properly.
Horne looked at the almost dazzlingly beautiful face with a hint of confusion, instinctively wanting to make assumptions about the youth's gender.
Solomon's eyes lingered on the shoulder plate, and when he saw the heather crest, his expression became meaningful.
But what drew Gaia's attention most was the strange emblem on his chest.
A ram devouring a heart?
At once, a sense of familiarity and unease rose within her.
When the three of them reached a distance of about three meters from the youth, whose face wore what looked like an approachable smile but whose whole presence practically radiated keep your distance, the guard at his side barked again:
"Stop! How can you lowborn wretches stand before a noble of the Upper Hive and not kneel?"
Horne narrowed his eyes. As a Commissar, he had no obligation to kneel to so-called nobles.
Gaia gave the man a cold glance, and the moment their eyes met, he felt a chill that seemed to pierce straight into his soul.
But that chill quickly turned into embarrassment and anger.
They only had one person on their side. Were they really supposed to fear him?
Just as he was about to snap at Gaia, Solomon dropped to his knees with a thump.
"Oh my, so it's truly a lord from the Upper Hive. My deepest apologies, my deepest apologies. Please be magnanimous and forgive us poor country fools..."
As he spoke, he smoothly crawled to the youth's feet and shamelessly kissed one of his boots.
The sight nearly stunned Gaia speechless.
She really had never seen anyone like this before.
After kissing the boot, Solomon even reached out and brushed the dust from the youth's trouser leg before skillfully crawling back to his original spot.
Not only did he show no sign of embarrassment, he even wore a strange smile.
Because no one present, including the young master himself, had noticed that one of the pure gold anklets on the man's leg was now missing...
The young master's expression, which had been hiding a trace of pride, softened a little. After all, the other two clearly had no intention of kneeling, and Solomon's behavior had at least given him a way to preserve his dignity.
However, his gaze lingered on Gaia for a long while.
Although her facial features were firm, and with her short black hair and the near-flatness of her chest plate she looked more like a handsome young man than anything else, he still noticed the unusual details in her tall frame and a few traces of softer lines.
His nose twitched. As a unique pheromone scent reached him, he immediately confirmed one thing.
The other person was a woman.
His eyes lit up at once.
According to the words of that mysterious bishop, the most important step in the ritual he needed to complete was to find a partner blazing with yang force, so that together with his own yin softness they could perform a great harmony of life and thus please that supreme being.
Gaia noticed the heated look in the eyes of that pale, reed-thin creature and gave him a puzzled glance.
And then she was stunned by the almost overflowing yellow light within his soul.
Suppressing the urge to smash him into dust with her hammer, she darkened her face and asked coldly:
"We are carrying out an evacuation mission for the civilians along the route to the hive city. Who are you people?"
The guard, hearing the blunt tone in her voice, immediately widened his eyes and was about to speak when his young master slapped him hard across the face, sending blood spraying from his nose and mouth.
The youth restrained the urge to lick the blood from his palm and answered gently:
"I am Paulus, eldest son of House Joguya."
"And what a coincidence."
"We too are saving the civilians along the way."
(End of Chapter)
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