Warhammer: In the Name of Ashes

The joy of reunion always makes time pass quickly. After half an hour of regular reception time, Alan Janus's figure appeared at the door of the living room again.

"I understand, let him in." Calvin said to the adjutant, while motioning to Nicholas beside him to calm down.

The leader of the Imperial Guard also quickly got into work mode. When Lieutenant General Aurelion, the admiral of the escort fleet, stepped into the hall, he was already standing in the position behind Calvin in the standard posture of a Parliamentary Undersecretary.

"Good day! Echo of the Emperor's Will across the Imperium, Eye of the Emperor on Earth, Lord of the Imperial Senate, Savior of Orps, Conqueror of the Orcs, Destroyer of the Chaos Fleet, Bringer of Ashes, High Lord Grand Inquisitor, Lord Calvin!"

Ollivander's voice came from his kneeling body. The complicated and lengthy title made Nicholas couldn't help but look teasingly at Calvin beside him, who also smiled bitterly and pointed his eyes at Nicholas' breastplate:

Calvin couldn't change the fait accompli, but he could still hurt each other.

During the eye contact, Nicholas took half a step back to show concession, ending the secret argument. At this moment, Calvin responded to the mortal in front of him:

"Okay, I have received your respect, mortal. Let us skip this meaningless step and tell you why you are here."

Calvin finally waited until Aurelion finished reading his title and couldn't wait to interrupt him.

It's not that he is impolite or respectful of the soldiers in front of him, but he knows that if he doesn't stop him, according to the normal process, the mere 15-minute meeting will not even be able to complete the greetings.

The first meeting between the two is extremely important. During this meeting, Calvin must leave a deep impression on the commander of the fleet that pragmatism is paramount and everything is simple.

"Your will..." Ollivander also took a deep breath. The other party's title was too complicated, but he couldn't omit it and create the impression of contempt for the other party.

As a high-ranking person, Calvin was able to take the initiative to cancel this painful link, which really saved this soldier with a relatively simple character.

"I brought the news that the fleet has completed its rest. If possible, I would like to know the specific departure time."

"It hasn't been decided yet. The preparations for the Ministry of Interior have not been completed yet. You can go back first, there will be more later..."

Calvin's eyes confirmed with Nicholas's, and after receiving the latter's affirmation, he continued to say to Ollivander:

"The Imperial Guard will serve as my envoys and maintain communication with you."

"Your will, then please allow me to retire..."

Seeing Ollivander's figure disappear outside the door, Calvin turned to Nicholas and said, "You came just in time. I don't know the empire's practices regarding the travel of high lords. Can you tell me about this?" "

"Well... in fact, among the existing practices, not many are applicable to your current situation."

"Why?" Calvin raised his brows slightly and looked at the leader of the Forbidden Army in surprise.

“First of all, most of the high lord’s outings do not involve areas outside of Terra;

Secondly, the few cases of people traveling outside Terra were either those who took refuge during the "Unification War" that year, or those who were about to leave office and chose a place to retire..."

"No exceptions?" Calvin asked.

"Yes, War Lord. Authorized by the Senate of Terra, when he is out in charge of important battles in the empire."

Nicholas answered Calvin's question, but he obviously understood that this answer also did not meet Calvin's needs.

"War Lord? Warmaster, right?"

Calvin thought for a while, and finally compared this unfamiliar title with a certain "source of all evil" in his impression, and found subtle similarities in the same functions of these two different titles.

"You said yes, yes." Nicholas followed suit. In front of Calvin, the original Gray Knight who was also an Astartes, he chose to answer this sensitive question sideways.

"Hey! You slippery boy!"

Calvin was so angry that he laughed out loud, but after thinking about it for a moment, he understood the other party's intention and lost the motivation to continue questioning.

The title "Warmaster" is obviously inappropriate for the empire after the Great Rebellion.

However, judging from the vast territory and complex system of the empire, the upward concentration of rights and resources under the emergency response mechanism in a short period of time is indeed an inescapable strategy.

This is why the title "War Lord" came into being. Since no one wants to recall that painful past, it doesn't hurt to change it to a title that everyone can accept.

"It's not a permanent position." Calvin asked, but it was more of an inference than a question.

This concentration of power during wartime is definitely a slow murder of the existing system;

Each appointment of a Warmaster creates an established pattern within the Imperial management for a high degree of integration of power.

This is drinking poison to quench thirst, because these established examples across departments and rules will not fade or disappear with the end of the war;

It will only make the process of taking over the reins of power smoother when the next Warmaster emerges.

In the context of seemingly improving the efficiency of the empire's emergency mechanism, it actually digs into the empire's existing power structure!

This can only be a necessary concession to reality after the Emperor is unable to see things. It is also a helpless compromise that the human empire is called the Empire but lacks the Emperor sitting in the middle.

Calvin could even deduce that if this continues, sooner or later another figure like Horus will be born in this soil called "War Lord".

"Yes, the War Lord is elected by the Senate, but he cannot hold or take over any existing permanent seat."

Nicholas has been serving in the palace area for nearly a thousand years since he was selected.

The empire's ruling team composed of mortals has changed several times in his eyes, and he is naturally familiar with the anecdotes.

"oh……"

Calvin's meaningful response is that he is a pawn.

Such a huge set of power and the hand of one person did not give him a way to exit or take a step forward.

So after the war is over, this person's fate can be imagined. Being able to die in an accident with dignity is considered a luxury.

But there is no way, even as Calvin, he cannot solve this problem.

He only had to imagine it to know:

How arrogant it will be when the high lord in charge of military power returns to Terra with his illustrious achievements and the integrated connections throughout the imperial army and enters the Imperial Senate, which symbolizes the center of power.

At this time, he had no choice but to retreat, because taking a step back would mean eternal disaster, and all the people and forces behind him who had supported him would not agree.

What is even more impossible is that today, when all direct bloodlines of the emperor have disappeared, how can it be left to a mortal to control the power of the entire empire?

The incident of "Supreme Minister Vandier" happened once is enough. Today's empire is plagued by internal and external troubles, and it can no longer withstand another division and internal strife...

Calvin looked at Nicholas without saying a word for a long time.

He is still not sure whether it is purely accidental that this topic has reached this point, or whether it is a well-intentioned temptation and hidden warning from the forbidden army in front of him, or the person behind him.

One update.