"I object! This is far too dangerous, Warmaster!"
The instant Horus finished laying out her plan, Abaddon slammed both hands onto the table, shot to his feet, and voiced his opposition.
What did she mean, she was going to detach herself from the Legion, personally lead an expeditionary fleet to Prospero, and leave the rest to continue the Great Crusade?
And not only that—she intended to hand responsibility for the ongoing Crusade to Torgaddon and Loken.
This was absolutely—
A terrible idea.
"Calm down first, Abaddon," Horus said, trying to soothe him. "This is a decision everyone discussed and agreed upon."
"I need to make a trip to Prospero. I have to see my brother, Magnus."
"But the Great Crusade cannot simply come to a halt. This is the only workable arrangement. Besides, you and Little Horus will be accompanying me as well, to ensure my safety."
"Though Torgaddon isn't exactly what one would call reliable, Loken can balance out his shortcomings to a certain extent."
Torgaddon: "...?"
Loken: "!"
Little Horus: "Heh."
The three named parties reacted in completely different ways.
Torgaddon was dumbfounded. What do you mean I'm unreliable? Father, is that really how you talk to your own son? I'm hurt here.
Loken, meanwhile, felt an enormous pressure descend on him—but at the same time, he treasured the opportunity. This was trust from his Primarch.
As for Little Horus, his response was the most normal of the lot.
As long as he could accompany his father, he was willing to do anything.
"No! This is too dangerous!" Abaddon insisted. "You've only just recovered, and now you want to launch another expedition? And on top of that, leave the Legion in the hands of those two? This… this absolutely won't do!"
What kind of sense did it make for a Primarch to head off on a mission and leave the grand strategy of the Legion to Astartes? And not just any Astartes, but Torgaddon and Loken of all people—one of them never serious a day in his life, the other too green to command at this scale.
At this rate, the Sixteenth Legion's hard-won glory would be ruined.
"So noisy..." Curze said, digging idly at one ear. "Horus, are all your sons this rude?"
"It's not like that, Curze. Abaddon is just worried about me, that's why he's so agitated," Horus explained helplessly.
"Father! I ask you to reconsider!" Abaddon said again. "This plan of yours—did you really 'discuss' it? Or did you just chat with these few people for a while and call it settled?"
"Hear me out, Abaddon—"
"Father! Even if you insist on going, then at least leave me behind! How can the Legion's affairs possibly be entrusted to those two?"
"But I need your strength too."
"Then you stay, and I'll go in your place! I can carry out the mission just as well!"
"Abaddon, just listen to what I'm saying—"
"Father! You truly can't—"
Smack!
No longer willing to endure it, Horus flipped herself over the table and sent one rabbit-sized punch straight into Abaddon, blasting him off his feet.
"That's enough, Abaddon! Is that any way to speak to me?!"
She glared at him where he was now embedded in the wall and continued scolding him.
"I said I'm going, and I'm going. If you refuse, then get out!"
Trying to speak to him nicely had gotten nowhere. If she kept up the gentle approach, he would just keep barking.
"Father, calm down..." Torgaddon hurriedly stepped in, trying to defuse the situation. "Abaddon's only worried about you and the Legion. He doesn't mean any harm."
It was terrifying, honestly.
Cute little rabbit girl or not, when she got angry, she was absolutely terrifying.
"I am not merely seeing concern," Horus snapped, turning toward her other three sons. She pointed at her own ears.
"You all think that because I've become like this, I can no longer command you, don't you?"
"No! No, not at all!" the three of them replied at once, shaking their heads so hard they almost blurred.
"Then obey my orders! And obey what I say!"
"I do not want to hear anyone tell me 'no' again!"
She jabbed a finger at them.
"Do you think I'm setting out on a pleasure trip? I'm going to save my father—and the Imperium of Man!"
Ever since learning about the Webway Project, the small complaints Horus had once nursed toward the Emperor had transformed into guilt and understanding. She finally realized that her father had never been avoiding her at all—he had been engaged in a truly great undertaking.
And if that was the case, then she had to help him.
Which was why Magnus—the one who might destroy the Webway—had to be dealt with first.
Even if Magnus was still loyal, he still had to be restrained as a precaution. Better safe than sorry.
"Still..." Loken said after analyzing the situation as calmly as he could, "you've selected Abaddon and Little Horus to accompany you on this expedition, while leaving only Torgaddon and me behind. With our standing, I'm afraid it won't be enough to keep the Legion in line."
"You know as well as I do that, officially, you are still considered unconscious."
That was the true crux of the problem.
Most of the rank-and-file still believed the Warmaster lay insensible. Even if the captains could suppress unrest for a while, if this went on too long, the troops would inevitably lose heart and the Great Crusade would grind down.
And at that point, neither Torgaddon nor Loken—no matter what methods they used—would have the authority to make themselves heard. Their power came from Horus.
And Horus, as far as the wider Legion knew, was still down.
Who would listen to them then?
"That," Horus said, "is your problem to solve."
She fixed Torgaddon with a stare.
"Especially you. You spend all your time joking around, and when I went down, no one trusted you to step up."
"This whole incident has made one thing painfully clear to me: the Sixteenth Legion has far too many problems."
"We are a Legion, not some criminal den. If I fall, that should not mean the entire Legion collapses with me. Do you understand?"
She swept her gaze across all four of them.
"The four of you—aside from Loken actually trying to solve the problem—what sort of showing did the rest of you put on? You know the answer yourselves. Keep this up, and I'll strip you of your positions!"
Then she turned to Loken.
"Loken—stop holding back. I support you. Think of this as your trial."
"...A trial..." Loken repeated, his heart surging. That was as good as direct acknowledgement.
Torgaddon, meanwhile, lowered his head with a wry smile.
He knew his shortcomings well enough. The trouble was, managing the Legion was a miserable chore. All he had ever wanted was to follow the Warmaster into glorious battle, not sit behind a desk and juggle logistics and politics.
"Father..." Abaddon finally managed to peel himself off the wall. Hearing Horus's criticism, he felt wretched inside.
In the end, the last bit of resistance in him broke.
If Father had spoken that clearly, what else was there to do but obey?
"None of you have any objections now, do you?" Horus said. "Good. Then the meeting is over. We depart in ten days. Here are my final assignments."
She began distributing orders one by one.
"Abaddon! You and your First Company come with me!"
"Torgaddon! Your seven companies remain aboard the Vengeful Spirit! If agents from the Terran Council come to investigate my condition, find a way to block them. But if it's one of my Primarch brothers, then secretly inform them where I've gone."
"Little Horus! You and your Fifth Company are coming with me too. I have a special role in mind for you. You are central to this expedition."
"Loken! While I'm away, the affairs of the Legion and the continuation of the Great Crusade are in your hands. I'm not asking for brilliance. I only want you to keep the current system functioning."
Finally, Horus looked at all four of them with the expression of someone exhausted by her own children.
"Please stop making me worry like this."
"You need to start asking yourselves what happens if one day I'm truly gone. What happens to the Legion? What happens to all of you?"
"You are not only my sons—you are also the Emperor's warriors. If I die, I expect you to keep serving the Imperium and the Emperor. Do you understand?"
Then she sighed and added:
"I truly wish you'd all learn something from Bruce. He's so much easier to deal with. And so well-behaved."
The four of them stood there in silence, all thoroughly scolded.
A short while later, Horus dismissed the meeting. Each of the four offered a salute to their beloved father and withdrew in turn.
Once the meeting chamber was empty save for Horus and Curze, Horus let out a long breath and sank back into her seat.
"This whole disaster laid bare just how awful the Sixteenth Legion's internal management really is."
Once again, she found herself missing Hastur Sejanus—her Bruce.
If he were still alive, the Legion would never have degenerated into this.
If only Bruce could join the Sixteenth Legion...
"Heh." Curze smiled but said nothing.
After a moment, Horus looked over and asked,
"By the way... how exactly do you manage the Eighth Legion? I'm honestly curious."
"That?" Curze was actually stumped for a moment. Then she remembered something Bruce had once said.
"It's simple. Just do it the way Bruce says."
"What way?"
Curze looked at Horus very seriously and answered:
"If you don't do it, someone else naturally will."
That was how the Night Lords worked.
If you dropped your responsibilities, someone else would take them up. Even if the whole thing rotted in the process, someone would always crawl forward to claim the role.
That was Legion management, Eighth Legion style.
Join here to read ahead.
In Star Rail, Ultra-Beast Armored — Have I Caught "Equilibrium"? l (Chapter 80)
Uma Musume, But I Only Have Five Years Left to Live (Chapter 178)
Zenless Zone Zero: I'm a Doctor, Not a Bangboo (Chapter 139)
Ben Tennyson Wants to Join the Justice League ( 126 )
TYPE-MOON: Redemption Beginning with the Holy Grail War (Chapter110)
Yu-Gi-Oh! — Transmigrated into the White Dragon Girl (Chapter171)
"Is this chat group even serious?" (Chapter100)
I, Lord Ravager, Utterly Loyal! (Chapter184)
Can Playing Games Save the World? 65
Crossover Anime Multiverse: The Demon Hunter of an Unnatural World 77
From Junkman to Wasteland 66
Weekly Refresh of Overpowered 31
I'm Grinding Proficiency Like 46
From Kiana, Lord Ravager, Onwa 168
Honkai: Is This Still the Prev 42
Elf: My Starter Pokémon Is Inc 65
Warhammer: My Primarch Is Remi 156
From Demon Slayer to Grand Ass 105
The Way the Umamusume Look at 68
Uma Musume, but My Cheat Power 185
Naruto: Weaving the Future, Be 65
Zenless Zone Zero, but Kamen R 76
Multiverse Crossover: The Perf 66
My Cyberpsycho Girlfriend 65
Uma Musume: The Dark Trainer 160
Uma Musume: A Calamity Born fr 150
I, a Reincarnation-Loop Player 76
The Violent Girl Group Is Beat 97
Uma Musume: The Horse Girl Who 66
Uma Musume: From Beginner 116
Becoming a Horse Girl, I Will 75
Uma Musume: I Want All 93
I Can Copy Unique Skills 79
Summoning an Evil God, but the 55
Supernatural Multiverse 75
My Harem Is Indescribable 68
Jujutsu Kaisen: Heroic Spirit 70
"I'm just a Valkyrie passing through." 66
Uma Musume: Today Is Another Romantic Battlefield 69
Still playing traditional Honk 49
The Most Filial Son Under Heav 53
What Should I Do After Switchi 42
Reincarnated as a Demon, Skill 50
Hell-Difficulty Dungeon? 38
Transmigrated as Sukuna 35
Checking In in Demon Slayer 40
The Reincarnating Trainer of Tracen Academy 55
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