Chapter 367: The Foolish Heart of the Crimson One
Magnus moved slightly.
Across from him, Hades—resting his chin on his hand—did not move at all, but his absent, wandering gaze immediately snapped onto Magnus.
Magnus froze again. Hades blinked, shifted into a more comfortable position, and lay sprawled across the table. He found himself wondering whether he should apply to have a small lathe moved in here—otherwise, his life for the next few months would consist of eating and watching Magnus.
Hades idly thought that bringing a few books over wouldn't be a bad idea either.
Magnus was imprisoned.
And was he, watching over the red giant, not imprisoned in another sense as well?
It had already been more than ten days. Hades had memorized the meal rotation schedule of the Imperator Somnium's cafeteria.
Of course, over these ten-plus days, Hades hadn't missed a single meal, while Magnus hadn't taken a drop of water. But given a Primarch's constitution, Hades wasn't worried in the slightest that Magnus would suddenly drop dead.
If only Magnus could stay this "silent and obedient" forever. When the time came, the Emperor could just toss Magnus out in this state and then manipulate things with psychic power—however that might work.
But unfortunately, Magnus spoke.
The Primarch's dull, cracked lips split open, blood seeping out. His hoarse voice was like that of a dried corpse.
"…Who are you?"
Hades straightened up, his eyes fixed sharply on Magnus. He didn't want to answer—but then he remembered Malcador's instructions.
Hades thought it over briefly. In the end, he spoke calmly.
"Your warden. Hades."
Magnus trembled slightly. The corners of his mouth cracked into a faint, bitter smile.
"A foolish question."
He said softly. Hades knew Magnus was mocking himself. After that line, Magnus once again sank into a long silence. Hades propped up his head and reinforced the Black Domain security yet again.
After that sentence, following the fifth meal delivery—on the third day—Magnus tried once more to communicate with Hades.
Perhaps he simply couldn't endure the silence any longer. So far, Hades believed that the only Primarch capable of staying silent for extended periods was Mortarion. Most Primarchs had some need to talk, some curiosity.
"You're always here?"
Hades blinked silently. Magnus seemed to be asking a question useful for escaping prison—but given that Magnus could no longer see anything and wasn't using psychic powers… then it must have been his other senses as a Primarch helping him judge.
Hades boredly looked away.
"Sometimes I'm not."
A lie. He was always here. He said it to test Magnus.
Magnus frowned slightly.
"You're always here."
He said with certainty.
Hades raised an eyebrow.
"So what? Planning a jailbreak—"
"No! I would never! I absolutely will never do anything again!"
Magnus's raised voice immediately cut Hades off, but it instantly faded back into weakness and pallor. He muttered as if he still wanted to say more, but in the end could only whisper a few broken words.
Hades sighed.
"That sounds like a good thing. For everyone."
Magnus hesitated. Finally, as if making an enormous decision, he spoke with a trembling voice.
"The Em… the Emperor—how is he now?"
Hades thought for a moment. He recalled the Emperor's reaction at the time, as well as Malcador's words. Hades replied indifferently,
"Probably very angry. Maybe a little sad, too."
He watched Magnus clench his fists, grit his teeth, his entire body trembling slightly, even his mess of hair shaking along with him.
"…I didn't want to… I truly didn't want to… I never wished to hurt him."
By the time he finished that last sentence, Magnus was on the verge of breaking apart.
Hades stared at him and said softly, "Then why didn't you listen to him?"
"Because there was no other way!"
A discordant shout rang out as Magnus roared at Hades—but immediately after, like a caged beast, he irritably lowered his head again.
"Other than me, no one could save the Thousand Sons—not even the Emperor, not even Malcador! At that time the entire Legion was down to just one thousand men!"
Hades blinked calmly. He stood up and walked forward to the iron bars, compressing the Black Domain. If not for the Emperor's restrictions and weakening, it would still be very difficult for him to suppress the fire of Magnus's soul.
"So that's why you sold your soul—and your Legion's future—to the devil?"
"I didn't know—I didn't know it would turn out like this!"
Magnus shouted hysterically.
"I never intended this! I knew it was dangerous, but I had no way out! I thought this was the full price!"
Magnus pointed at his own eye—unfortunately, that had only been the down payment.
To calm the shouting Primarch and stop him from disturbing public order, Hades reached out, grabbed the chains wrapped around the iron bars, and roughly smashed them against the railing.
The clash of metal was effective. The roaring Primarch finally calmed down, and Magnus became aware once more of where he was.
"Why are you yelling so loudly?" Hades frowned.
"I'm not the decision-maker. I'm just a lowly gatekeeper. Take all this up with the Emperor."
He watched Magnus's face turn deathly pale in an instant. The Primarch seemed to lose all strength at once.
"No… no… He won't forgive me."
Hades continued patiently, "Does he know what you just said?"
"He… I think he should. He saw everything." Magnus rasped.
"Then what did he say?"
Magnus's lips twitched twice, as if he had fallen into a painful memory. The Primarch began clawing at his own scalp like a failed, broken man, tearing at his hair.
"No…"
Magnus said in agony.
Hades sighed. The last thing he wanted was for Magnus to spiral into extreme emotions—nothing was more dangerous for a psyker.
"Alright. You're not dead yet."
He said in a consoling tone.
"Your Legion… those upright, kind warriors won't be imprisoned either. The Imperium still needs warriors who can wield psychic power."
Talking about his sons at least pulled Magnus out of that painful recollection for a moment. Hades couldn't help wondering what, exactly, the Emperor had done to Magnus.
Magnus covered his face in defeat, burying himself in the shadows.
"I ruined them… I thought that…"
Hades walked back and sat down again. Sitting was more comfortable.
"Think about something else. No matter how much pain you're in now, it's useless—the facts are set, unless the Emperor orders you to work."
"Father still needs me?!"
Magnus's shriek nearly knocked Hades off his chair. Furious, Hades jumped to his feet and kicked the iron bars directly, warning the Primarch to keep his voice down.
"Otherwise why would he keep you alive?! Do you really think he enjoys watching you suffer?!"
The Emperor was a tyrant—but a utilitarian one. If he had the manpower and effort to guard Magnus, he might as well have killed him outright and redeployed those forces elsewhere.
Yet the confusion on Magnus's face told Hades that the Primarch truly thought exactly that.
Hades took a deep breath.
"When did you start imagining the Emperor as someone who enjoys torturing people, Magnus? Or is it that you—"
"No! Never!"
Magnus immediately shot back, flustered as he tried to explain.
"It's just—just—this is common sense! Punishment imposed on a criminal!"
"You think your old man can be explained with common sense?!"
Hades kicked the iron bars again, trying to get Magnus to lower his volume.
Magnus let out a strange squawk, like a parrot suddenly choking mid-call.
"You—you—you just called him what?"
Hades paused, replayed his words for a moment—and then realized he'd let something slip.
Hades said solemnly,
"I said: His Great Majesty, the Emperor."
"That's not what you said just now. You said—"
Hades snapped irritably, his voice now louder than Magnus's,
"I know! Why are you shouting so loudly?! Even if you report me to him, he's not going to reduce your sentence! Stay put and behave yourself, Magnus!"
He was satisfied to see Magnus choke on his words, falling silent with an almost aggrieved expression.
Hades turned back and sat down again. At last, he gained a brief moment of peace.
Until Magnus's weak voice sounded once more.
"…Who are you, really, Hades?"
"I am Hades."
Hades answered smoothly. He watched Magnus frown in irritated thought.
"What exactly is your relationship with the Emperor? Something like—like Malcador's?"
Hades thought about it. He had no desire to end up like Malcador, forever looking kidney-depleted while drowning in paperwork—but in many ways, he did spend a lot of time working alongside him.
"More or less?"
"…Are you the most powerful pariah?"
Hades narrowed his eyes.
"You're crossing a line, Magnus."
Magnus fell silent. After a long while, he clenched his teeth and spoke again, as though making a great decision.
"If you're like Malcador… then tell me… what should I—what should I do?"
Hades replied casually,
"Stay here. Do nothing. Behave yourself. Listen to him. Don't overthink things—and especially don't touch the Warp."
He stared at Magnus.
"I think the Emperor never wanted you to mess with that stuff. He originally thought you were the outstanding one."
Magnus looked like he was about to pass out, but Hades continued as if he hadn't noticed.
"You need to lower your expectations. Nothing is ever going back to the glory of the past. He's cleaning up the mess you left behind, and the best thing you can do is not create any new one."
Hades watched as Magnus seemed to deflate like a punctured balloon. Finally, Magnus spoke in a tone of utter resignation.
"He wants me alive now, doing nothing at all."
"Correct."
Magnus took a deep breath, the Primarch panting heavily.
"Then what was it that he showed me?"
Hades said flatly, "How would I know what he showed you?"
But Magnus answered only with silence. The Primarch seemed to realize that asking Hades such a question would yield no answer.
Hades quietly looked away.
"Um… do you need to eat? If you do, I can have them send food over."
The Emperor probably didn't know that Hades had been intercepting the Primarch's meals—after all, Magnus hadn't looked like someone who wanted to eat these past few days.
Magnus replied with a completely bewildered expression.
Only then did Hades suddenly realize why Magnus thought the Emperor abused his prisoners.
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Note:
In short, since Hades had eaten all of the meal and drink that should have been given to Magnus, the latter thought that being deprived of substance was an indirect way for the Emperor to kill him by starvation.
In simple terms, Hades' huge appetite caused the red giant to think his father wanted him dead.
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