Chapter 26: He Once Made Blood to Flow Like a River
At the aristocratic gathering, Helena stood to one side, her long, dark, lustrous hair falling to her waist. She watched Wayne in the distance and smiled faintly.
The owl ring on her finger sparkled. She was Helena Skolvork, the head of the Skolvork Family, a renowned and powerful noble. Everyone noticed her. Everyone ignored this new noble. Everyone knew her, yet no one acknowledged her. The woman was like something nonexistent, as if humans instinctively ignored anomalies, ignoring her presence.
"How boring. A bunch of hypocritical mortals swaggering around, scrambling to prove their nobility, unaware that they are merely pathetic creatures, their destinies bound by their birth."
Helena yawned, looking at everything with annoyance. Her dark eyes gazed into the distance, nine rings adorning her fingers. She wore a thin, striking cheongsam. Although the cheongsam had never existed in this world, and there was no such culture on Nostramo, Helena still dressed like a simple, elegant noblewoman.
Her true form was never like this, because she knew Wayne understood Chaos. If she appeared here in her true form, Wayne would act immediately. This did not align with Helena's preferences. Violence was not what she sought.
For this, she concealed her identity, transforming into a mortal. Wayne's understanding of Chaos was also part of his weakness, because the emergence of Chaos power or a Greater Daemon required rituals. A Greater Daemon's invasion of the material universe required a large number of sacrifices, while the appearance of a Dark God required unimaginable offerings. Wayne knew this.
To this end , he established Warp detection stations to ensure Nostramo's safety. The problem was that Dark Gods transcended linear time within the Warp. Once born, they existed beyond the constraints of past, present, and future.
Therefore, she had enough time to prepare, waiting for the opportune moment to appear.
For instance, by extending through secret rituals generation after generation, ultimately creating a vessel to contain the will of a Dark God, allowing her to face Wayne.
The moment Wayne arrived here with Konrad, the renowned noble leaders immediately swarmed around them, fearing to slight the man before them.
This was the nobility: usually high and mighty, but now facing the descendants of the Wayne Family, who were even nobler, more powerful, and even one of Nostramo's origins, they now became servants.
Women surrounded the primarch, desiring his flesh. In their culture, sex and love were separate, but facing a primarch, they were willing to give everything. Just for a night of pleasure, like beasts.
The primarch smelled their expensive, perfect perfumes, yet only felt disgust. The hormones they instinctively emitted disgusted Konrad even more.
Wayne ignored this, merely standing aside and watching his son adapt. In Wayne's eyes, Konrad would sooner or later deal with various nobles, and he must adapt to their flattery and their condescending attitudes.
Helena felt a touch of boredom. Nobles were always slaves to fate. Only those who challenged fate deserved its blessings.
Her dark eyes gazed at Wayne, planning something inwardly. To harm a father, one must harm his son. Such a task was effortless for Helena.
"Please leave."
Helena spoke, and the nobles immediately dismissed the others. She stood up and walked to Konrad's side. "Here, I come first."
Wayne looked at Helena with her dark hair and a cross emblem on her chest. Was she a believer? Nine elaborate jeweled rings on her fingers highlighted her distinguished status. This was the renowned leader of the Skolvork Family, a noble of prominent standing.
The other nobles naturally made way, allowing her to face Konrad, while the elders surrounded Wayne, hoping he would soften his stance and not be so harsh on the nobility.
Konrad looked at the seemingly unremarkable young woman before him. She appeared to be around his age.
"You are Konrad? Nothing special." Helena was a little disappointed. She had no liking for, nor support of, anyone who might succumb to their fate. "Truly an unremarkable youth."
Konrad understood Helena's sarcasm. "And you?"
"Me? Just a noble leader. It's your father, Wayne, who truly inspires envy."
"Interesting." Konrad found a seat. If this fellow offended Wayne, she wouldn't leave here alive. "Tell me more."
"Do you know why he's considered a madman in the eyes of the nobility?" Helena continued. "Even a Duke, you know the peerage system, right? Duke, Marquis, Earl, Viscount, Baron. A Duke's status is the highest among the peerage. Duchess Yilgarna described him as merely a madman."
On the other side, Yilgarna, who had been chatting and laughing with Wayne, instantly stiffened. She looked at Wayne, her eyes pleading for mercy.
"Just after-dinner banter, please don't mind it, Mr. Wayne."
"Hmm." Wayne smiled slightly at her. "Regarding the public safety issues in your territory, I have some suggestions. After all, the crime rate is still a bit high."
"Of course, of course, I will discuss it with you in detail. How about this, the Wayne Group moves in to assist my family in governance? We can discuss the terms now."
"It can wait a few years," Wayne responded blandly, "or if you don't wish to negotiate with a madman, that's fine too."
The Duchess became anxious. How could her casual remark have been brought up? "No, no need. Now is fine. Tomorrow is also fine."
Wayne had some doubts about this noble, Helena. The problem was that she showed no signs of Chaos corruption or abnormality; her out-of-place attire made her more suspicious to Wayne.
Moreover, this attire was more akin to how the Emperor might appear, and the Warp detection stations had shown no recent anomalies.
Wayne watched Helena raise his wine glass and nod in his direction, showing him respect with a hint of nervousness. This gesture further proved she was a human noble.
...
"Where were we? His first time attending a gathering, a few junior family members conspired to poison him, but Wayne saw through it."
"And what happened?" Konrad asked.
"Ten men and five women were involved. The men were subdued by Wayne on the spot, then paralyzed with a special agent and vivisected right here. As for the women, Wayne, out of pity, merely excavated their spinal cords and inserted devices that made them dance until they died. That day, men wailed, women cried and danced, and Wayne dismembered them piece by piece in front of everyone."
Konrad swallowed, imagining the scene: Wayne directly placing people on dining tables and performing his specialty for them.
In fact, what Wayne did that day ensured his right to defend himself. He protected the vast majority of people through extreme means. Justice always involves conflict, and the ultimate means of defending it is often violence.
"So what? They deserved it."
Helena smiled slightly. Of course, these young nobles were ignorant and confronted someone with no bottom line. At that time, they would certainly not give up, and retaliation would follow.
"Hi-Hi, in the following days, the nobles retaliated together. Hundreds of tanks brought from elsewhere, tens of thousands of mercenaries, and even ancient relic war chariots from the Dark Age of Technology."
"All of this was destroyed by Wayne. He massacred the families that led the retaliatory actions; if fortunate enough, they were hanged on high walls. To this day, violence rates in many areas have fallen because of this madman. All nobles wish he would die here, utterly perish here."
After Helena finished speaking, she stood on her tiptoes, trying to get as close as possible to the nearly two-meter-tall Konrad with her five-foot height.
The primarch hesitated, then lowered his head. "What are you doing?"
"I want to tell you that you are merely a second-generation noble, relying on Wayne's fame to act superior here. Why don't you prove that you are worthy of being Wayne's heir?"
"I won't believe your lies."
"I will challenge you in the future, Konrad. Prove to me that you are worthy of the Wayne Group. But that will have to wait until you're older, child. Your father once caused rivers of blood, and you?"
"I am worthy." Konrad wanted to prove himself, just as Horus would seek to live up to his father's expectations as Warmaster. "Don't try to sow discord here."
"Then, when Wayne ignites a war across the entire world, judges all sins, purifies all nobles, and sweeps away all darkness, what use will you be?"
The woman yawned, smiling faintly, seemingly only pitying Konrad, like a noble lamenting a primarch's lack of ability.
At this moment, Konrad's fire of dignity, intolerant of insult, burned fiercely. He wanted to prove himself, but the next second, Wayne stood before Konrad, looking at his son.
Helena wisely retreated to the side, watching the other girls, eager to act but afraid of Wayne.
"I have no interest in Konrad. Do as you please!"
The girls did nothing because Wayne was sitting there, the light in his eyes striking fear into everyone.
Wayne looked at the self-restrained Konrad, found a seat, and Konrad followed suit, sitting beside him. Both looked at the nobles before them.
"What do you think?" Wayne asked.
"I..."
"Regarding my past, Helena actually put it too simply, son. You and I are essentially the same kind of person."
Helena looked at the father and son. They were much stronger than the other pair. Konrad could not betray Wayne, but all primarchs, in their infancy or youth, had an impulsive side.
Even the Lord of the Salamanders was like this. Konrad's inner desire to prove his excellence, combined with Wayne's attentive care and concern, would be fatal to mortals.
She toyed with her rings as the Duchess approached her aggressively. In an instant, Helena yielded, like a harmless young girl.
[End of Chapter]