“Emperor of Mankind…”
Faced with the Emperor’s open-armed welcome, Lion El’Jonson did not step forward.
Instead, she narrowed her eyes warily.
Fragments concerning the Emperor of Mankind already existed within the Primarch’s inherited memories.
Lion knew perfectly well that the person before her was the creator of the Primarchs.
However, his attempt to abduct Merlin had sent her opinion of him straight to rock bottom.
“Is this how you visit Caliban?
Sneaking around and trying to kidnap my Wizard?”
“If this is the best welcome you can offer me upon my return, then I can only politely decline.”
“…I only wanted to test your strength,” the Emperor of Mankind replied helplessly.
There was even a faint trace of grievance in his voice.
“Besides, you seem to have developed a new ability—a psychic power that allows you to traverse the forest.”
“Fine.
You have my thanks.”
Lion was already growing impatient.
At this point, she only wanted to take Merlin and leave.
“Is that enough?”
“Do you expect me to kneel before you in gratitude?
Or would you prefer a grand ceremony with all of Caliban bowing before you?”
“Please show proper respect to the Emperor of Mankind, Lord Primarch.”
Midris, the First Legion warrior, stepped forward with obvious dissatisfaction.
“As a warrior, you should let your sword speak for you.”
Lion El’Jonson immediately drew her sword and held it before her.
The atmosphere became tense in an instant.
“…Lion El’Jonson.”
The Emperor paused.
“That wasn’t what I meant.
I only…
wanted to get along with you.”
“There’s no need for that, Your Majesty.”
Lion frowned and glanced across the First Legion warriors.
“Now, may I leave with my Wizard?”
“If you require me to join your crusade, I will join it.”
“If you need a Primarch to fight, then I will fight.”
“Beyond that, there’s no need for this hypocritical performance.”
Those were harsh words.
Lion El’Jonson was clearly furious.
Fortunately, Merlin wasn’t Big E himself.
If his eldest daughter ever spoke to him like that, he would probably be devastated.
Whatever anger Merlin had felt about being suddenly abducted had already disappeared after watching this scene.
“…”
As for the Emperor of Mankind…
He simply remained silent.
As usual.
The atmosphere immediately became painfully awkward.
“What are you looking at?
You too!”
Seeing Merlin hiding off to the side and curiously watching the two of them, Lion kicked him lightly in the backside. Get faster updates on g.com.
“Useless!”
…
“Hey, useless.”
Several days later, beside the lake near New Spring City, Lion El’Jonson sat staring at the starlight reflected across the gently rippling water.
She still looked annoyed.
“What’s wrong?”
Merlin looked at her.
“We finally finished all the handover arrangements.
Now we can relax for a while.
Why are you still upset?”
Over the past several days, with Merlin and Luther overseeing the negotiations, Caliban had formally been incorporated into the Imperium of Man.
As for Lion and the Emperor…
Their relationship remained extremely cold.
Rather than father and daughter, they behaved more like two coworkers who barely tolerated each other.
The Emperor of Mankind, whose emotional intelligence was roughly on par with a banana, certainly wasn’t going to take the initiative and admit he had done anything wrong.
Neither was Lion El’Jonson.
And so the two simply remained at an impasse.
Naturally, the actual negotiations with the Imperium fell mostly to Merlin.
According to the agreement reached by both sides, the Imperium would introduce advanced scientific, industrial, and construction technologies to Caliban’s settlements.
Under the guidance of the Mechanicum, large areas of wilderness would gradually give way to factories and new infrastructure, bringing Caliban into a new era under the Imperium of Man.
This time, however, Merlin had advised Lion El’Jonson to insist on preserving greater autonomy for the Calibanite knights.
Caliban had only recently been unified.
Reforming the entire planet too quickly and too aggressively would only plant the seeds of future rebellion.
And that wasn’t the only change.
Under Lion El’Jonson’s command, knights from the various orders had begun undergoing examinations to determine their suitability for Astartes transformation.
Astartes.
Space Marines.
Powerful genetically enhanced warriors.
Suitable young candidates, after undergoing augmentation based on Lion El’Jonson’s Primarch lineage, would gain speed, strength, and precision far beyond those of ordinary humans.
Together with the warriors of the First Legion, they would eventually bear a new name.
The [Dark Angels].
The very Legion that, in the real world, would one day arrive in the Granria System.
At this point in history, however, they were still a Legion.
Perhaps because this simulated world had a female Primarch, the transformation process here was also compatible with women, meaning female Astartes could exist as well.
As for people like Merlin and Luther, who were already too old for the full process, they were instead given partial enhancement procedures.
Their strength would never compare to a true Astartes, but the treatments still offered considerable physical enhancement and extended lifespan.
That, at least, allowed Lion El’Jonson to breathe a little easier.
Merlin’s appearance had barely changed over the years, showing no obvious signs of aging.
And now, with the additional treatments, barring some accident, he should be able to remain beside her for a very long time.
That thought brought Lion considerable relief.
Of course…
She still had to look angry for now.
She was still sulking.
“Why are you so useless?”
Lion glared at him.
“You have practically no combat ability at all.
You’re nothing like a proper Calibanite.”
“How many times has this happened now?
I always have to come and save you.”
She puffed up even more.
“But then you actually defended him!”
Lion had once looked forward to the day when the Emperor of Mankind would descend upon Caliban and take them into the stars to conquer the galaxy.
She hadn’t expected the person who finally arrived to be so irritating.
He was certainly nothing like the Emperor with angelic wings she had imagined in her dreams.
But even that wasn’t the main problem.
The real problem was Merlin.
That heartless bastard kept saying good things about the Emperor!
[I actually think the Emperor of Mankind and the Primarch are quite similar.]
Merlin had said exactly that while Lion and the Imperial representatives were arguing during the negotiations.
“Me?!”
Lion immediately turned toward him.
“How am I anything like the Emperor of Mankind?!”
“In your eyes, am I some arrogant, narcissistic, inhuman, scheming show-off?!”
Lion felt deeply insulted.
Although…
She might have privately thought some of those things herself.
But Merlin wasn’t supposed to say them out loud!
“Honestly, my first impression of the Emperor wasn’t that bad.”
And Merlin meant it.
The Emperor of Mankind wasn’t quite as rigid as Merlin had imagined.
Aside from his extremely questionable emotional intelligence, there wasn’t much about him that made Merlin uncomfortable.
More importantly, the Emperor had never questioned Merlin’s existence.
It was almost as though he hadn’t noticed that Merlin had entered this world through the Ring of Sagittarius.
Or perhaps he had noticed and had deliberately chosen to ignore it.
Either way, throughout the days the Emperor remained on Caliban, he never once sought Merlin out personally.
And somehow…
The Emperor felt much warmer than Merlin had expected.
Not like the cold, distant presence he remembered from Warhammer lore.
Instead, there was something strangely familiar about him.
A warmth Merlin felt he had encountered somewhere before.
He simply couldn’t remember where.
“Ha?!”
Lion’s voice suddenly rose.
“Why do you keep defending the Emperor of Mankind?”
“What’s so good about him?!”
Unable to contain herself any longer, Lion El’Jonson sprang up from the grass.
“Something is wrong!”
“Why did the Emperor of Mankind choose to kidnap you in the first place?!”
“Did the two of you already know each other?”
“Or…”
Her emerald eyes narrowed as she stared directly at Merlin.
“Have you taken a liking to him?”
“There is definitely a secret between you two!”
It really helps the fic grow!