Warhammer: In the Name of the Emperor

"I didn't know you were here, Father." Vito said but still sat on the bench in the first row. Father Hus took the candle and put its candlelight close to the silent candle plate, as the flames came closer one by one. The candlelight also lit up, and Father Hus lit the candles under the shrine one by one.

He worked unhurriedly, and every movement could almost be called a prayer. His expression was peaceful as he stared at the burning candles. The candlelight illuminated the wrinkled aging face, but even so, The pair of black eyes also reflected the flame of the candle, just like the fire of devotion burning in his heart.

The candlesticks under the emperor's shrine burned one after another, and the fire gradually dispelled the darkness. The emperor's golden icon also reflected dazzling light under the flames.

"I didn't expect you to be here, Inquisitor." The old voice of Hus said. He swept the burned-out candle remains off the candlestick. The debris fell on the ground, and soon a servo skull flew away. He came over and sucked it away three by five, and then the servo skull flew away on its own.

Vito looked at the servo skulls that flew into the darkness of the vault, "You can let them help you light the candles, Father." "Yes, but I would rather light the candles here with my own hands on the morning of the Emperor's Ascension Day. Fire, bring the light of truth to this dark corner of the galaxy."

Vito smiled and leaned on the bench. He raised his eyes and looked at the icon in front of him. The icon stood majestic in front of him with a sword pointing at the Milky Way. Emperor's Ascension Festival? Ha, it seems like it's been another year, and I'm another year older, but what's the difference? Does it really make any difference to you whether you are one year old or a hundred years old?

The priest glanced at the silent Vito with his peripheral vision. He turned around and took out a new long-lasting candle from his robe. He inserted its end into the fixed anchor point of the candlestick, and then lit a new flame for it with his own hands.

"You are doubting, Inquisitor, you are questioning something." The priest said, without the slightest hint of reproach in his tone. Vito knew Father Hus. He was never a priest who would reprimand and admonish others. He was a man who accepted others. The venerable wise man differs from many of his ecclesiastical colleagues.

But this is not surprising. There are many similar people on the Infinite Frontier. They are all aliens in the place where they once belonged, but here, on the Inquisitor's ship, they do not appear so strange.

Vito let out a long sigh and looked up at the starry sky above the skylight. He stared at the endless stardust above, and the brilliant Milky Way streaked across from above, like a star bridge connecting the corners of some locations.

"Yes, Father." "You are doubting whether mankind still has a future and hope." Hus said, and he stepped forward to light the candlestick on the other side of the shrine. Vito did not look at the priest but continued to look at the starry sky.

"It seems that you heard it. It's not easy. After all, you don't have an implant." Vito said calmly with a hand on the back of the bench. The priest smiled softly and blocked the candlelight with his hand. The side of the body made the flame burn steadily and tenaciously.

"I believe that my life is given by the God-Emperor. He will also decide when I will return. He will decide when to call me to the Golden Throne."

Vito lowered his head and looked up at the emperor's face, while Hus lit all the candles and took out the holy water from the golden holy pool beside the shrine. He gently poured it on the table of the shrine, sparkling with little silver light. of holy water flowing over the opalescent marble surface.

"Why do you doubt hope? Inquisitor." Hus said and began to prepare for the next step. He wiped the countertop with a religious cloth roll that he had already prepared. The holy water gradually spread as he wiped it, and the milky white marble surface had already There was a luster, not the light of the marble itself, but the reaction of the holy water under the candlelight.

Of course, these holy waters are not just ordinary water. The state religion has mixed them with silver powder, or as they call it, holy powder. They believe that by mixing silver powder, which symbolizes purity, into the holy water, the impurities in it can be mixed with the holy water. Purified by impurity.

Although this sounds stupid, mithril weapons can indeed kill demons. Gray Knights are generally equipped with mithril power weapons. Together with their psychic powers, they can fight against those warp demons to the greatest extent.

"For ten thousand years, Father, our people seem to have been farther and farther away from truth, reason and light for ten thousand years. I have seen similar moments, long, long ago."

"You think that mankind has lost the opportunity to pursue the future." Hus said without turning around, but continued to be busy, "You think that after losing the guidance of the Emperor, we have embarked on a dark path. A road without light."

"In fact, when the Emperor was still leading us, there were many issues that we ignored, or could ignore. I read it from a book, a very ancient classic."

"What have we overlooked? Inquisitor." "Human emotions."

Vito said as he looked up at the statue of the Emperor. The face was no longer the one he recognized. Just like the stone sculptor mentioned before, he exaggerated his appearance too much, although the Emperor would appear to different people. The most perfect look for that man, but for Vito, he was not allowed to be like this.

"At that time, we thought that relying on truth, reason and unlimited power could enable mankind to embark on the journey. The Emperor thought so, but his great deeds made him ignore the emotions of his children and ignore their hopes. ”

"Human emotions are fragile. We are jealous, greedy and thirsty. This is how evil often sneaks into people's hearts. This is true even for powerful people, even those who are called demigods."

Hus's eyes reflected the flames of the candle, and he nodded slightly to confirm the words of the judge, "What is said is absolutely true. This is how the slander of chaos sneaks into the heart, and the seeds of jealousy will also turn into bitter fruits."

"How many people in the empire are not like this now? Look at those bureaucrats, even those on Terra, no, especially those on Terra." Vito said without hesitation, "I have wanted to kill them several times. Get rid of all these parasites.”

"Why didn't you do this? Inquisitor." Hus didn't seem to care at all about Vito's betrayal of wanting to "kill" the Council of Terra's High Lords. Make your own preparations.

Vito smiled bitterly and rubbed his head, "What's the point of killing them? Who will replace them? The Assassin Grand Master Wangerich tried it. He assassinated all the high lords and took over the power himself. At first, everything was very... It went well, and the bad government was clear, but what was the result after the Beast War?"

"This is the limit of human beings, the limit of a single individual, and the lack of correct guidance collectively will eventually lead to the kind of broken situation of the High Lords, which is far from the purpose of setting them up in the first place."

"The Emperor sits on the Golden Throne, all the Primarchs are missing, or in other words, no one can come back to lead humanity, and Guilliman is still sleeping in the stasis."

Of course, there are also the Imperial Guards. Those golden-armored guards could have intervened in all of this. They could have done so many times. They were on Terra and could intervene and intervene in everything in the empire at any time and at any time to prevent it from sliding into the abyss of destruction. They It could be done, they did it at the end of the Age of Apostasy.

They led the Space Marines into the palace and convinced the Battle Sisters to kill the traitors. They could have continued, but they didn't. Constantine had sworn to be a protector rather than a ruler. It seems that the current Custodes have continued their original mission. A collective oath taken.

As a guardian of humanity, not a ruler.

Vito smiled, and the smile was slightly sarcastic. He was often contradictory like this. Sometimes he was extremely realistic to the point of discomfort, but sometimes he was so idealistic that it was difficult to understand. , he doesn’t believe in humans, but at the same time he believes in humans.

Ha, well, this can be regarded as their collective problem.

"Can you? Inquisitor." Hus asked. Vito's expression stiffened but he did nothing or said anything.

"You have solved and purged many planets of traitors, heretics and incompetent leaders, and then you also chose reliable people to take their places. The Eye of the Emperor already knows that you can do it, Inquisitor, why do you Why don’t you do it?”

"I promised my friend, as a guardian, not a ruler." Vito said softly, while Hus shook his head slightly, and he smoothed and organized the origin paper.

"No, Judge, although you want to abide by your oath and not interfere in human affairs as a guardian, you still interfere in all of this. You are contradictory. What you think and think in your heart are all... contradictory."

"Judge, although you say that there is no hope and light for mankind, you still believe in your heart that light and hope still exist among mankind. It is for this reason that you interfere and help different worlds."

Hus hung a new prayer note on the shrine, which seemed to come from a sailor. Hus helped present it to the Emperor, praying that he would help the believer.

"If you had not believed it, you would not have been a judge, you would not have met again, and we would not have met." Hus's old voice said word by word, speaking so loudly, even though his voice was not actually Not big.

Vito lowered his head in silence. He was thinking, thinking, thinking about what Huss said. Do doubts and beliefs coexist?

Hus stroked the prayer paper and silently recited the sacred words in the chanting. His old fingers gently scratched the parchment paper, slightly but extremely gently.

"What would your friend hope for you? Is it doubt or belief?" Hus asked. Vito looked up at the icon of the emperor, his face already illuminated by the strong candlelight, and the starlight sprinkled on his forehead. above, like a bright light shooting down from heaven.

"Trust my own judgment." "So, do you trust yourself?"

Vito did not speak, and Hus turned around. He slowly walked to Vito and looked at the judge's side face. Hus's hands were inserted into the sleeves of his big robe, and the white robe hung down to the ground like a silver waterfall. General diffusion extension.

"Who are you?" Hus asked, and Vito was silent for a moment. "Inquisitor."

"What is an Inquisitor?"

"Guardian of humanity."

"What is the guardian of mankind?"

"Watch the dark night and search for the light."

"What are your duties?"

"Clean out the heretics, destroy the aliens, and bring light back to the empire."

Hus raised his head slightly, and his long sleeves floated with slight movements. "Who are you?" "Vito Constantine." "What is Vito Constantine going to do?" "Protect humanity and bring back bright."

Vito stood up and looked at Hus with a smile, "You remind me of an old friend." "Who?" "Hindman."

Vito walked towards the grand gate, but he was stopped by Huss after just a few steps. He turned his head and looked at Huss not far away.

The priest looked at the Inquisitor, and he turned to look at the Emperor's holy image. The fire and starlight had illuminated the magnificent holy image together.

"This year's Emperor's Ascension Day, I hope you will say the blessing, Inquisitor Vito."

He smiled, then waved his hand and walked towards the gate.

"I will."