Lion couldn't be bothered to argue with Caelan, because he knew Caelan's tricks too well.
As a Primarch, he could easily elegantly dodge every drop of splattering blood between kills.
But that meant inserting a 'dodge' between 'kills', turning 'kill, kill, kill, kill, kill, kill, kill' into 'kill, dodge, kill, dodge, kill, dodge, kill'.
This would disrupt his fluid combat rhythm and severely reduce his killing efficiency, so he couldn't be bothered to dodge.
Caelan's question, 'Why didn't you dodge?' seemed to ask one thing, but really reminded him of another: Why did he kill?
Was he killing for the sake of killing, or to protect mortals?
His adoptive father was a conflicted person, yet completely unaware of it.
Caelan could have just told him directly, but instead used this subtle way to remind him.
As a Primarch, with a deep enough understanding of Caelan, he could understand.
If he were just a mortal, not a Primarch, this would only create misunderstanding and distance between them.
He would resent Caelan for not caring about his safety or his honour, only disliking his blood-soaked appearance and asking why he didn't dodge.
But precisely because he was a Primarch, this wouldn't happen.
Perhaps it was because he was a Primarch that Caelan asked this way.
His adoptive father believed he could understand.
Lion understood everything, which was why he didn't argue with Caelan.
He was thinking.
Why didn't he dodge?
If he dodged, his combat rhythm would be disrupted, and his killing efficiency would inevitably drop.
Then, beasts that slipped through could easily threaten the other knights' lives, even break through the defences and massacre the village. Many innocents would die.
This was the trolley problem.
Sacrifice one person, or sacrifice five?
Lion's choice was to sacrifice the one.
But he asked himself: was that the real reason?
No.
Lion couldn't deceive his own heart.
He wasn't that noble. He didn't care about the lives of strangers.
They were just mortals. They wouldn't leave any mark on his life.
Aside from Luther and Sarrientus, he hadn't even asked the others' names.
In his heart, the death of a beast and the death of a mortal had no difference in value.
If slaughtering beasts could save mortals, he would kill beasts to save them.
But if letting beasts into the village could let him slaughter them more efficiently, he would also sacrifice the villagers without hesitation.
In his eyes, the villagers' lives were just the price to pay for slaughtering the beasts.
Trading a few nameless corpses for the peace of the entire region, that was also sacrificing the one.
Trading a few for many was a very good deal.
He wasn't a compassionate martyr like his brother Vulkan. He had lived by the law of the jungle since childhood.
He would protect mortals, but he saw them as sheep, as his flock.
But he wasn't noble. He wouldn't protect mortals through self-sacrifice.
So, if it wasn't to protect mortals, why didn't he dodge?
"I just can't be bothered," Lion murmured to himself.
Unlike his adoptive father, his strength lay in self-awareness.
He never deliberately avoided splattering blood, because it only disrupted his killing rhythm.
If people died, the knights might hold him responsible. He would be in trouble.
As for protecting mortals?
That was just incidental.
Was this personality of his good or bad?
Caelan had never criticised or corrected him, never told him what kind of person he should become.
In Caelan's mind, what he became should come from his own heart, not from his adoptive father's expectations.
Lion understood everything.
But he still did things his own way.
He didn't think he was wrong. The strong prey on the weak. The law of the jungle.
He was already being merciful by protecting mortals, seeing them as his own kind. What more did they want?
If Caelan wanted him to become like his brothers, Lion would suppress his nature and seriously become what his adoptive father wanted.
But Caelan had never forcibly corrected him. And he wouldn't this time.
So why the reminder?
Lion raised his head from the moat to look at Caelan on the bank. "I'm not wrong."
Caelan said, "I didn't say you were."
"I know. But I'm still not wrong."
Lion's voice carried his distinctive arrogance.
This arrogance wasn't a pretence. It was an inborn talent. He was born an arrogant king.
Caelan said, "There's a thing in this world called politics."
"I know."
"Do you understand it?"
Lion shook his head. The law of the jungle didn't include politics.
Caelan asked and answered: "What is politics?"
"The distribution and exercise of power is politics."
"Extending it, any interpersonal interaction is politics in a broad sense."
"But unlike the big issues of international politics, interpersonal relations often involve the small politics between groups."
"For example, if a group of people like playing King of Fighters, and you criticise them for it, you've violated their political taboo, and they will ostracise and bully you."
"But you can also form a belief group with people who don't like playing King of Fighters. Criticising it would be your politics."
Caelan paused slightly. "Lion, why did I let you make the decision earlier?"
"Because you wanted them to understand that I'm not your appendage. We are independent individuals, with our own will and judgment. Is this also politics?"
"Judging by the standard we're discussing, yes, it is."
This was the small politics between Caelan, Lion, and the knights.
Caelan and Lion were father and son. But if the knights saw Lion as Caelan's appendage, Lion's pride would make him resentful.
Because Caelan was his father, that resentment would be transferred to the knights.
But if the knights saw them as different, independent individuals, and even subtly let Lion take the lead...
Lion would have no resentment. Caelan wouldn't envy his own son.
The knights would also understand their dynamic. Three birds with one stone.
Lion's intelligent brain understood immediately, but he frowned.
He didn't like this.
Caelan was treating this purely as business. But they were father and son! Their relationship should be closer!
But Lion wouldn't be conflicted.
He understood it wasn't Caelan's fault. It was just his own psychology playing tricks.
Lion slowly exhaled. "I've saved the knights twice in a row, killed over a hundred beasts."
"They will respect us, treat us as honoured guests. This will help us integrate into the Order, even seize a leading position in the future."
"This is also politics."
Caelan said, "Don't politicise everything."
"You taught me."
"Am I not allowed to be wrong?"
Lion fell silent. Of course, Caelan could be wrong. He wasn't a god.
But what did that have to do with him believing in Caelan?
Even if Caelan was wrong, it would be an unintentional mistake.
Caelan asked, "Why did I teach you politics?"
"To over-politicise interpersonal relations, thus guiding me to think."
"Since you've learned to think, you should put politics aside."
"Not study politics?"
"Not don't study it. Don't overuse it."
Lion frowned deeply. "You think I can't handle interpersonal relations well, so you're indirectly teaching me?"
"In just one day, Luther and I have become friends. What about you?"
"That's just compared to you. It's not fair. I can't prophesy!"
Caelan said, "Actually, I can't either."
He never had the gift of prophecy. His prophecies came from prior knowledge.
"My friendship with Luther began when I sent a Watcher to save his wife. Yes, that can be explained by prophecy."
"But my friendship with Sarrientus is based solely on sincerity."
"Sarrientus nearly died saving Bilges village when he was young. Luther's adoptive father, Aenorod, saved him but suffered lasting injuries, forcing him to retire early. Luther named his son 'Lion' hoping one day to hunt the ancient monster called the Lion."
"I didn't learn these from prophecy. They told me themselves."
"And you, Lion, have you ever truly gotten to know the knights fighting beside you?"
Lion fell silent again. A Primarch's memory meant he could perfectly recall the faces of those knights.
But he knew nothing about them. He hadn't even asked their names.
In the eyes of the common people, they were noble knights.
But in Lion's eyes, they were nothing.
He didn't care.
Caelan said, "If you want to be a lone, isolated beast, you can afford not to care."
"But if you want to be a lion king, you must know your people. Lead your people."
"Must a king do this?"
"An incompetent king doesn't. Neither does a tyrant. But in my heart, you are capable of more."
Lion's heart felt like something had struck it hard.
Yes, he was a Primarch. He was capable of more!
"No king is born a king. A king needs a teacher too."
"What do you think I've been doing?"
"Oh."
Lion climbed out of the water, keeping his head down, trying to hide the corners of his mouth that were harder to suppress than a bolter.
Caelan stared, "What are you smiling at?"
"I'm not!"
"Pretend you weren't. Maybe I was mistaken."
Lion tightened his jaw. He didn't like this.
"I was smiling."
"I didn't hear you. What did you say?"
"I said I was smiling!"
"Why are you shouting? But I do prefer you when you're honest."
Caelan smiled with satisfaction. The Lion didn't understand the human heart. His interpersonal relationships were a mess.
For example, his relationships with the other Primarchs. No one liked him, not even the social butterfly, Horus.
Although his relationship with the Wolf King was bad, the Primarch he got along with best was the Wolf King.
The Wolf King saw the Lion as a simple-minded barbarian, too emotional in his actions.
The Lion saw the Wolf King as very arrogant, with too many secrets, disregarding brotherhood.
But deep down, they actually respected each other.
The Wolf King thought the Lion was a warm-hearted person with a cold exterior. The Lion also always held Russ in his heart.
After the Heresy, the Lion, seeking to express regret, even went to find the Wolf King for a duel and gave him a sword wound.
The Lion's relationships with the other Primarchs were even worse. And his relationship with his sons was also poor.
Not just Luther. Zahariel, Astelan, Nemiel… many Dark Angels had conflicts with the Lion.
These conflicts led to countless tragedies. But their origins were actually quite small.
Luther and Zahariel were exiled after an assassination attempt on the Lion. Enemies tried to detonate a nuclear bomb on the Lion's flagship to kill him. Luther was tempted but ultimately, with Zahariel, threw the bomb out of the ship, saving the Primarch's life.
Yet the Primarch stubbornly exiled them both.
Luther was exiled for his betrayal. Zahariel for keeping Luther's secret.
Astelan was exiled due to office politics with Belath.
During the conquest of Byzantius, Astelan and Belath jointly commanded the forces.
Astelan insisted on peaceful negotiations. Belath urged a full-scale assault.
Even when Astelan tried to negotiate peace with the Byzantines, Belath secretly worked against him, invading Byzantius and nullifying Astelan's attempts.
Finally, Belath drew up charges and presented them to the Primarch, leading to Astelan's exile.
Chief Librarian Israfael also saved the Primarch's life, but he too was exiled, possibly because he was Terran-born.
The Traitor Legions purged their loyalists on Isstvan III. But the loyalist Legions' purges had happened earlier.
And this crude purging led to rebellion. Of Luther, Zahariel, Astelan, and Israfael, all but Israfael turned traitor.
Though they were also harbouring their own agendas, competing for power and influence, they all harboured resentment towards the Primarch.
They couldn't understand why the Lion was so harsh.
But the Lion had always been like this: taciturn, moody, dictatorial.
And it was his personality that had ultimately incited the rebellion.
The Lion didn't understand the human heart.
If he had seriously talked with his sons, many tragedies could have been avoided.
For example, a large part of the reason Astelan was exiled was because he was a Terran, while the informant, Belath, was a Calibanite.
Luther should have been a case study of 'a fault confessed is half redressed'. If only the Lion had talked with him, the misunderstanding could have been resolved.
But the Lion didn't. He couldn't even be bothered to listen to their explanations.
Perhaps in the Lion's heart, both he and his sons were warriors.
And warriors must obey orders and maintain absolute loyalty to their sovereign.
Any disloyalty should be punished. Any excuse would taint their honour.
He might even have seen exile as giving them a chance to reflect. At least he hadn't executed them for their disloyalty.
This simple, crude 'one-size-fits-all' approach also stemmed from the Lion's personality.
He was an excellent general, a powerful warrior. But he was not a king.
So when he tried to compete with Horus and Ferrus for the position of Warmaster, all the other Primarchs knew he couldn't do it.
Not because he wasn't strong enough, nor because his honour was less than theirs.
Simply because he didn't understand the human heart. He might be the best general among the Primarchs, but he would never be Warmaster.
When the 40K Lion began to understand the human heart, willing to listen seriously to his sons' experiences, all the conflicts were resolved.
What real conflicts are there between father and son?
They're all just misunderstandings.
Only Luther silently bore the weight of it all. But Luther had also been pushed by Astelan.
Caelan said, "Let me tell you a story."
"I'm listening."
"The story takes place on ancient Terra. Across the sea, in Albyon, there was a King Arthur."
"Before he became king, his name was... Price... born in the forest of Cali... Cabon."
Lion stared stubbornly at Caelan. 'You might as well just read out my lab records!'
....
If you enjoy the story, my p@treon is 30 chapters ahead.
[email protected]/DaoistJinzu