West smiled at Soshyan,
He grinned, confidence radiating from him like a palpable aura.
"Noble angel, there is no need to dirty your hands. The rebellion has been put down. Most of the rioters have been eliminated, and a few have been punished."
This is the city's council hall, where landowners and city councilors quarrel and vie for power in this area, and where they lay out various insidious plots.
Soshyan stood on the high platform where the speaker was, just an arm's length away from West.
The other Space Marines stood behind Soshyan, not as close to West's dais as he was.
All the landowners in the city, including the council members, also gathered here, with hundreds of people.
After hearing West's words, Soshyan, who had taken off his helmet, took a deep breath. Perhaps he didn't realize it himself. At that moment, he was like an extremely irritated lion, and his black hole-like eyes were even more... It intensified his scowl.
But West still smiled.
"My lord, you don't know that after you left, those thugs tried to start a rebellion in the city again, and the Ministry of Justice sent us a suppression order."
He said, took out a data pad from behind and handed it to Soshyan.
But the Space Marine still stood there without any movement, and naturally did not pick up the opponent's data pad. This made West's face look a little embarrassed, but he quickly covered it up.
As a Chapter Leader, Soshiyan has only taken over the Chapter for a short period of time, but he already has the authority of a superior. When he looks directly at West, everyone can feel his rising anger.
Apparently, the mayor got his position all wrong.
But soon that didn't matter much.
"Our oath."
Soshyan let out an unhappy growl.
"Do you still remember?"
Several coughed, as if the Astartes had said something scary.
His dissatisfaction suddenly became stronger.
But of all the people present, only Thor could feel how much Soshyan wanted to pick up the bolt gun and end this confusion, but he was still restraining himself. The rules and dogma he had been taught were the last chains on his body.
Once the chains are opened, no one knows what a tragic ending it will be.
"That... I feel very sorry, but it is my duty to protect the city."
West held his hands in front of his chest, looking pitiful and resigned to death.
"I'm willing to bear any consequences!"
Thor then sneered.
But in just a few days, he had enough understanding of the current situation of the empire.
Take the city hall in front of you, for example, which is exaggeratedly luxurious even for a planetary governor, let alone a miniature city.
Mechanical cherubs adorn the edges of the town hall, carrying sacred banners declaring the state religion.
These accelerated clone babies fly on anti-gravity wings made of white iron, talking and giggling to each other in monosyllabic hums when they're not singing.
They were used by those who were obsessed with worthless decoration, and Thor was sure that the production of such things in his day was undoubtedly a sacrilegious and abominable waste of resources.
Is the human body used to produce these soulless replicas of living creatures?
Obviously not, nor should it be.
An honor guard of marble sculptures, each a complete recreation of a useless mayor, lined the center of the red carpet.
This is a pile of false authority engraved on stone, looking down at the assembled lawmakers with a proud and complacent expression.
The decorated armrests of the speaker's chair are connected to the curved back of the chair, and the entire chair body sits heavily on twelve piles.
For a moment, Thor wondered what kind of mind could find such a thing beautiful.
To him it looked like something flawed and half-processed.
No matter how much gold was added to this ugly structure, it could not change the fact that the chair was an ugly incarnation of low wealth, guarded by a red ocean of hypocritical men and women.
"Honored Angel."
continued West, his silk coat looking baggy with the weakness of his unexercised body.
For as long as he could remember, Saul had always had a hard time maintaining respect for people who allowed their bodies to become infirm, unable to fight age except with money and reconstructive surgeries—which each of them was capable of in their own right. Can fight against laziness.
A corrupt body is the result of a fragile soul.
"Cut down your pretense."
Soshyan said to him, his voice as cold as ice.
"S-Sir..."
West smiled reluctantly again, knowing that it wasn't his smirk that irritated the other person, but his behavior.
"We are overjoyed at your arrival, and I am sure you have enjoyed your time here so far? It is almost time to harvest, the season of praising the great Emperor."
"Do you still remember our oath!"
Soshyan turned firmly to face the entire hall.
"Do you know the consequences of making us break our oath!"
There were more coughs, and even West's jaw shook as he held back his fear.
But he still held on and humbly whispered:
"All of this is authorized by the Ministry of Justice, and we are only executing orders."
Thor couldn't guess whether this man was pretending to be confident on the outside, or whether he really felt that an official document from the Ministry of Justice could intimidate an Astartes.
"Actually speaking, strictly speaking, it was those traitors and murderers who broke the oath. Your honor, my lord, has not been damaged at all. Absolutely not, and no one will publicize what they saw."
His honey-like voice struck a chord in Thor's mind, reminding him of the speech he had delivered to the assembled crowd.
Regardless of his moral character, there is no doubt that this man is an excellent speaker.
"That's enough, I've heard enough."
Soshyan still had no intention of moving his weapon, but lowered his head slightly and stared at West.
"Repent, and you will die a happier death."
West stopped smiling, and the other landowners and councilors still murmured and grunted, but stopped laughing.
"My lord, we have not committed any crime, nor have we violated any imperial laws."
West whispered, but no longer humble.
"And officials from the Ministry of Justice will be arriving soon."
This fool - Saul's last comment on him in his heart.
His words became the last factor that broke the chains on Soshiyang.
The chapter leader of the Astral Knights, Soshyan Alexey, had an unusually cruel smile on his face that was full of guilt not long ago, and he breathed heavily between his exposed teeth.
"Then no one will walk out of this room alive, and the City Council and Agricultural Federation of Thetis, anyway, will cease to exist at sunrise."
