Die?
“Why are you suddenly asking me that?”
“Don’t answer my question with another question.”
Lion El’Jonson pouted in irritation.
“Let me think…”
How was he supposed to answer her?
Merlin had been completely caught off guard.
Why would she suddenly ask whether he was going to die?
Had something happened recently that made her start thinking about death?
Or was she simply feeling depressed because their efforts to unite Caliban had stalled?
He couldn’t tell.
For now, he might as well go along with her.
“I’m not entirely sure what you mean by that question…
but all humans eventually die.”
“So you’ll die one day too?”
It sounded like a ridiculous question.
But to Lion El’Jonson, the concept of death had once been almost nonexistent.
She was a hunter.
Death was something that happened to prey.
She had never imagined that she herself might one day meet such an end.
But after leaving the forests of Caliban and entering human society, Lion El’Jonson had learned something terrifying.
Humans died.
Even those who survived every battle would eventually grow old, with death waiting for them at the end of their lives.
Everyone except her.
Lion El’Jonson instinctively believed that she would never suffer such a fate.
But Merlin?
“Will there come a day when you suddenly leave me?”
As she spoke, Lion El’Jonson’s voice gradually grew quieter, and she buried her face deeper into her folded arms.
“Lion El’Jonson…”
So that was why she’d been so unhappy lately.
Merlin finally relaxed.
She had simply begun to understand what death meant.
For a moment, he’d thought she had somehow discovered his secret about the Ring of Sagittarius.
Perhaps someone in the knightly order had died recently, leaving her with a deep sense of unease and making her worry that Merlin might disappear one day as well.
“There’ll be a way around it.
I’ll still be able to stay with you for a very long time, so don’t worry.”
“In other words, you’ll still leave eventually?”
“No.
Don’t worry.
According to my prophecy, even if I eventually reach the limits of a normal human lifespan, rejuvenat treatments from beyond the stars will allow me to remain young for much longer.”
Merlin raised his head toward the sky.
“Beyond the stars?”
Lion El’Jonson looked up as well, gazing into Caliban’s chaotic night sky.
There was little to see.
Only an endless expanse of dark purple hung above them.
Beneath Caliban’s thick veil of mist and cloud, even the stars and moon rarely revealed themselves.
“Yes.
According to my prophecy, one day powerful superhuman warriors will descend from the heavens like dark angels, and their leader will invite us to join them.”
“Even after we’ve exterminated every Great Beast on Caliban, there will still be millions of worlds waiting for us among the stars.”
“And then what?!
What happens to us after that?”
Lion El’Jonson was clearly fascinated by the idea.
“With your unmatched skill in battle and your talent for strategy, you’ll become the Warmaster of an Imperium, commanding its armies as they wage war across the galaxy.”
He simply hadn’t specified which Imperium he meant.
That was the beauty of prophecy in Warhammer: leave enough room in the wording, and almost anything could be technically true.
“Warmaster…”
Lion El’Jonson repeated the title softly.
“Hehe…”
It sounded impressive.
Just hearing the word filled her with genuine delight.
But there was still one thing she wanted to ask.
“And when that happens…
when I become Warmaster, then you…
you…”
She suddenly froze.
“You…
you, you—”
Ah!!!
Lion El’Jonson clutched at her pounding chest, visibly flustered.
What kind of evil sorcery was this?
Why did it feel as though something had sealed her lips, making it impossible to speak properly?
“You!”
“Will you stay with me forever?”
The moment the words left her mouth, she regretted them.
How could she ask something so foolish?
And what kind of answer was she expecting?
Flattery?
What else could Merlin possibly say?
Was he really going to tell her that he planned to abandon her one day?
Lion El’Jonson, oh Lion El’Jonson…
How had you fallen this far?
She was Lion El’Jonson, the Lion of Caliban!
A merciless killer who knew neither pity nor hesitation!
Was she really going to let a few sweet words from some court jester sway her into trusting him completely?
Ridiculous!
“I don’t know what the future holds.”
Merlin turned his head and looked directly into Lion El’Jonson’s eyes.
“But to me, you will always be my Warmaster, Lion El’Jonson.”
Now it was Lion El’Jonson’s turn to look away in embarrassment.
Always…
My…
Warmaster?!
Hiss…
Why did that sound so good?
Hehehe…
As the Lion of Caliban, Lion El’Jonson certainly wasn’t the kind of person who could be won over by empty compliments.
But Merlin was different from the sycophants and fools who only knew how to shower her with praise.
He was different!
He called her Warmaster!
Warmaster!
Ahem.
Lion El’Jonson quietly shifted a little closer to Merlin.
“You aren’t allowed to lie to me.”
“…Swear it.”
As she spoke, she glared fiercely at him, desperately trying to recover some of the dignity expected of the Lion of Caliban.
“Of course, Warmaster.”
Merlin smiled.
“I swear I’ll stay by your side until the end of time.”
After all, the Ring of Sagittarius simulation would only last thirty years.
There was no harm in saying a few nice things to reassure her.
Thirty years wasn’t nearly enough to reach the era of the Horus Heresy anyway.
Once the thirty-year limit ended, the simulation would be over and the final results would be calculated.
So what did an oath made here really matter?
Everything here was fake.
Anyone familiar with the Primarchs knew that they were all supposed to be men.
Everything happening now was nothing more than a strange feminized world created by the Ring of Sagittarius.
It wasn’t real.
Thinking this, Merlin’s previously tense heart finally relaxed.
He was safe.
…
For now.
…
Granria III, Upper Hive landing platform.
“Great lords of the Adeptus Astartes, honored Angels of the Emperor…
welcome to Granria III.
Unfortunately, the recent pirate raid has stripped our territory of nearly all its wealth, so our reception is rather modest.
I hope you can forgive—”
As the transport’s hatch opened, the old steward Albert forced a smile and hurried forward to greet them.
“Where is the heir of your dynasty?”
Azrael raised one hand, cutting him off.
“He…
he’s still in the Warrant Hall examining one of our family relics, my lord.
Perhaps you would first like to—”
“No.”
Azrael’s tone was immediate.
“The situation is urgent.
Take us to him now.”
At that moment, the data-slate in Azrael’s hand finished loading the records concerning the current head of the Priestley dynasty.
[Merlin]
The name was identical.
And the face…
It was exactly the same as the oathbreaker preserved in the Dark Angels’ secret archives.
This—
This was him!
The man the Dark Angels had spent ten thousand years searching for!
It was really him!
The Warrant Hall, was it?
Without the slightest hesitation, Azrael broke into a run toward the tallest tower of the Rogue Trader estate in the distance.
“My lord!
Wait!”
Albert hurried after him.
“I’m still back here!”
It really helps the fic grow!