“You’re such a tsundere.
Say it or don’t, I don’t care.” Karen rolled his eyes and casually picked at his ear with a dismissive air.
This, in turn, made Kulen even more concerned about his identity; for a mortal to treat an Astartes with such disdain and converse so casually with a Primarch only suggested that this person was far from simple.
Even during the Great Crusade, only the officials under The Sigillite of Terra had the slight courage to speak to an Astartes in such a manner, let alone a Primarch.
“Please trust him, Kulen.
If it weren’t for Karen, I might have died under the Blade of the Arch-Enemy.” Horus stood up with a smile, though it carried a hint of warning.
“Necessary vigilance and doubt can exist, of course, but it must not be at the cost of undermining our team.
In the eyes of the Imperium and your Dark Angels, we aren’t exactly the good guys right now.” “Only through sincere unity can we better serve the Imperium and the Emperor, isn’t that right?” It had to be said that the uncorrupted Horus was the absolute pinnacle of social grace; his perspective and rhetoric were flawless, coupled with the influence of his own personal charisma…
After hearing these words, Kulen forced himself to swallow his resentment.
Since he had sworn fealty to the Lord of the Shadow Moon Pale Wolf, he had to follow the rules.
What’s more, the Old Man Emperor himself had personally placed a ‘VIP order’ in his dream, demanding that he bring Karen before the Golden Throne.
No matter how much he disliked the kid, he had to take on this role of part-time bodyguard.
“I will also ensure your safety, mortal,” Kulen added with a cold snort.
Karen burst out laughing, and any negative impression he had of the veteran was instantly swept away.
He stood up and strode into a blind spot in the ruins, a corner completely shielded from view by lead walls.
Neither Horus nor Kulen bothered to investigate what he was doing.
A minute later, accompanied by the heavy sound of metal scraping, Karen dragged a massive iron crate out from the corner.
Karen patted the iron crate and pointed at the battered Power Armor Kulen was wearing.
“If you’re going to be a bodyguard, this scrap metal won’t do.
Change into some good gear, Knight of the First Legion.” Kulen stepped forward, full of suspicion.
“Hiss—” With the sound of escaping gas as the hydraulic locks popped, the iron crate slowly opened.
When they saw what was inside, not just Kulen, but even Horus standing nearby lost his composure.
It was a brand new MK IV ‘Maximus’ pattern Power Armor!
The streamlined black Ceramite gleamed with a cold luster, and it even came thoughtfully paired with a Heavy Bolter and a Master-crafted Power Sword!
This was, of course, something Karen had just withdrawn from his system rewards while in the blind spot.
Since a mortal like him couldn’t wear this iron turtle shell anyway, he might as well use it to arm his combat units.
“Where did this come from?” Kulen frowned and turned to look at Karen.
“In any of today’s Astartes Chapters, this would be an ancient treasure.
Even among the First Founding Chapters, this model of Power Armor is quite rare.” “A Scavenger from the Underhive of Planet Reis has the ability to find a brand new set of Power Armor?” Karen simply responded with a shrug.
“Is there any point in obsessing over its origin, my Lord Knight?
All you need to know is that wearing it will allow you to better slay enemies for the Emperor.
In this universe, the origins of many things are not clean.” “Some Chapters, and even the Inquisition, use weapons related to Chaos and Xenos.
Are you going to interrogate every single one of them?
A weapon is just a weapon.
Don’t scare yourself; if you are afraid to even use a weapon of unknown origin…” Karen drawled, “Then you are doubting the Emperor!
That would mean…
your loyalty to the Emperor has begun to waver!” When facing suspicion and doubt, the simplest and crudest method was to pin a label on the accuser.