Warhammer, I promise I am loyal!!

To facilitate the rulers of this planet in continuing to exchange various technologies with the Mechanicum, they consolidated their rule over this world.

Of course, the aid from Terra's elite and the Ecclesiarchy did not come without a price.

Leaving aside the alliances forged in secret, every century, two ships filled with exotic treasures and courtesans departed discreetly from Joachim's starport toward Terra.

The bloodline that remained on Terra managed to cleanse its reputation during the devastating chaos of the 36th millennium, climbing to unimaginable heights in status—far beyond the comprehension of anyone on Joachim.

Additionally, Joachim was required to provide a significant number of merchant vessels each year free of charge to the local Ecclesiarchy. This allowed the Cardinals to profiteer by selling direct passage tickets to pilgrims traveling to Terra.

Under the Ecclesiarchy's protection, the Aurelian family also made a fortune by smuggling ship components and engaging in the forbidden Black Ships trade.

This was the foundation of Leon's confidence.

The merchants dared not risk offending the Ecclesiarchy and becoming targets of the Imperium's hunt by waging war against the Aurelians.

Moreover, nearly ten millennia of rule had allowed the Aurelians to amass a family fleet substantial enough to wage small-scale wars against interstellar privateers.

"…"

The girl standing before him remained silent.

Leon sighed softly.

He draped a pitch-black wolfskin cloak over his shoulders. As he passed by Mireille, his childhood companion who had served as his adjutant since their youth, she looked up.

Her gaze followed the sixteen-year-old as he exited his chambers and stepped into the corridor.

She could hear the disappointment in his voice.

Instinctively, she wanted to mend the situation, but after opening her mouth, she could only say: "I'm sorry, Lord Lister... I..."

"It's been so many years... just call me Leon."

The young man standing by the door halted his steps. He turned his head to look at the elegant, composed girl with white hair and a delicate face.

At this moment, Leon's expression was unusually complex.

In the sixteen years before he regained his past life's memories, the girl standing before him—born into a minor noble family and offered to the Aurelian family like a sacrificial lamb—had shared too many of his youthful and naive years in this world.

In this cold and oppressive family, where no one had control over their fate, the two had supported each other, surviving a relatively warm period of companionship.

Unfortunately, a year ago, their relationship fractured when Mireille, worried about Leon's safety, secretly requested protection from the main family when he was out indulging himself late at night.

A young man could not tolerate betrayal.

To Leon, Mireille—seen as a spy placed by the family—naturally faced his cold disdain. Now, however, with the memories of his past life restored, Leon reflected on those events.

Mireille hadn't acted out of malice. Her rigid and militaristic upbringing simply made her overly inflexible.

Hearing Leon's words, Mireille's expression briefly betrayed a hint of uncontrollable joy, her lips curling upwards for an instant before settling back into a neutral state.

In this family, only blood relatives and the most trusted attendants were granted the honor of addressing someone by their given name.

Most members of the Leon or Aurelian family bore three-part names.

Leon, however, had only two.

This subtle detail underscored his awkward status within the family.

"I truly regret it. I didn't know the family would react so violently, almost triggering a war. I—"

"Let's go... Let's see what interesting goods these merchants have brought."

Leon cut her off, watching as Mireille hastened to catch up. The fleeting joy on her face moments ago quickly faded, replaced by the same quiet anxiety.

Leon didn't want to dwell on past grievances.

He strode through the long corridor. In the gardens flanking them, servitor drones tended to the plants.

A small shuttlecraft awaited them.

"Do we need servitor assistance?" Leon asked.

Mireille shook her head. Her deft handling of the controls was evidence that her time at the Aurelian family's private military academy hadn't been wasted like Leon's.

"This is year-one naval basics, the very foundation—"

Halfway through her sentence, she remembered that the Aurelian family's young lord standing beside her had hardly attended classes at Joachim's Naval Academy.

He was utterly clueless about such operations.

This realization plunged her into awkward silence.

Fortunately, the Aurelians had invested in a space elevator and its maintenance technology from the Mechanicum to better connect the planet's surface fortresses with orbital platforms.

Although the "grease priests" of the Mechanicum made no secret of their covetous interest in the Aurelian family's ancestral tombs, they had to tread carefully due to the Ecclesiarchy's influence.

As long as they couldn't confirm if ancient and valuable technology lay hidden there, their dealings with the Aurelians remained smooth—at least on the surface.

"Compared to the flicker of witchcraft, science is like the light of the full moon. Yet, fools, constrained by their environment, fail to see the distant shores and instead sink further into the bitter sea…"

Upon stepping into the starport, even with some mental preparation, Leon was awestruck by the bustling grandeur.

The massive, semi-transparent deck offered the best view of the cosmos. Countless spacecraft ignited and extinguished their engines, illuminating the black void. It was a sight so magnificent that anyone setting foot there for the first time would stop in their tracks to admire it.

Mechanicum priests roamed the commercial zones, spreading their sermons and scavenging for any information remotely tied to ancient technologies.

Though it was akin to finding a needle in a haystack, such efforts occasionally bore unexpected fruit.

Every day, this vibrant orbital platform saw tens of thousands of vessels docking for resupply and basic repairs.

With the Ecclesiarchy's backing, the Aurelians earned astronomical sums from servicing passing fleets, though a considerable portion was donated to the church as "charity."

Even so, the remaining wealth was a towering mountain of Thrones—an unimaginably vast sum for most planetary governors.

"I presume you're Commander Lister. A pleasure to meet you—I'm Zoran Majic."

The man before him wore a slightly tattered naval coat.

His face was scruffy, his demeanor unkempt, yet his eyes gleamed with sharp clarity.

He exuded the familiar stench of grease and rust, common among spacers.

Feeling the restrained strength in the man's handshake, Leon judged this was a battle-hardened warrior.

His scarred skin and cybernetic red-glowing eye reinforced this impression.

The man seemed quite sure of Leon's identity.

He led Leon through the bustling crowd, narrating as they went. Mireille, following closely behind, instinctively wanted to stop them.

After all, the idea of a young lord of the Aurelian family casually walking off with a stranger—especially a cunning and dangerous merchant—was alarming.

Even on their home turf, Mireille worried for Leon's safety.

Should she call in the local PDF for assistance?

That would maximize Leon's security but risk drawing unwanted family attention.

Mireille hesitated.

Leon's earlier comment about believing them to be friends, however, strengthened her resolve. She touched the grip of her sidearm.

If she betrayed his trust again, Leon might truly cast her aside.

Hearing her determined footsteps close behind, Leon exhaled in relief.

It worked—

Because of his maternal bloodline, Leon had very few people he could trust in the Aurelian family.

Mireille was one of them.

He couldn't afford to lose her allegiance; otherwise, he'd be left with no one.

That would greatly hinder his search for relics connected to saints and Primarchs.

"Oh, those? They're members of Navigator families. While their figures may seem appealing from behind, I'd advise against having high hopes for what lies beneath their veils—"

As Zoran followed Leon's gaze toward the veiled Navigators with graceful figures, a shudder ran through him. Whatever horrifying thought crossed his mind made even this steely-willed man visibly uneasy.

.....

📢30 advanced chapters on p@treaon📢

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4. The Relic.

5. Holy Grail?! I Became One!

6. The High Heavens, Huh?

7. Opening with the Big Guns, Huh?

8. Very Well, But I Refuse!