Warhammer, I promise I am loyal!!

"Astra Militarum, how could they possibly side with rebels like you?"

Mireille couldn't believe the nonsense coming from the officer before her and questioned him.

But when she heard the officer's answer, even Leon, who had vaguely guessed the truth and mentally prepared himself, couldn't help but feel an instinctive headache.

To gain the Empire's support, the cultists of the Holy Covenant Sect hidden within the Aurelian family did something astonishing as their first move before the rebellion.

They wrote a letter to the sector government, publicly accusing the Aurelian family of tax evasion, bribery of ecclesiastic priests, and corruption of imperial officials.

To sweeten the deal, they delivered a substantial "gift" — a tax payment roughly three times the usual tithe amount that the Aurelians would have paid annually.

Reportedly, the Adeptus Administratum took the matter very seriously, notifying Terra years ago, sending agents to infiltrate Joachim to gather evidence, and secretly authorizing nearby spaceports to assist in overthrowing the Aurelians' rule by any appropriate means.

These cultists were unbelievably cunning! They had actually paid the Empire's taxes!

"Astra Militarum—"

Hearing the name, Leon's heart sank.

Evidently, even if the Holy Covenant Sect didn't act today, Terra's orders would eventually arrive, and the Aurelian family's fate would still be annihilation.

If the elders of the Aurelian family knew about what the cultists had done, they would probably be dumbfounded. After all, they could never imagine why anyone would engage in such a lose-lose strategy.

Destabilizing Aurelian rule brought no tangible benefit to Angiro, the rightful inheritor of the planet. However, upon further thought, Leon sensed something amiss.

He immediately shot the officer in the legs twice as the man tried to get up from the ground.

"You're lying. If they truly had the support of the Astra Militarum, why wait until the governor left the capital to act?"

Indeed, if the Astra Militarum were really backing the rebels, Leon didn't believe these cultists would need to worry about the planetary governor.

Nor would they need Leon's help to secure the northern barbarians' support.

The Empire always dealt ruthlessly with those daring enough to tamper with its taxes.

The Imperial Navy would crush any possible resistance on this planet.

Their strength was unmatched by the ragtag fleet of armed merchant ships the locals could muster.

Endless lascnnons and macro-cannons would rain Imperial wrath upon the rebels, tearing them and their descendants apart in a fiery storm.

Leon had pinpointed the issue.

The officer's groans of pain earned no sympathy from Leon as he interrogated further.

"What news came from Terra? Or did Terra even send a message at all?"

But the officer said nothing, glaring hatefully at the young man in front of him. He opened his mouth as if to bargain, but before he could say a word—

Leon sighed and blew the cultist's brains out.

"I'm so foolish. If Terra really responded, how could a mere captain of the planetary defense force possibly know?"

Leon let out a sigh.

Despite the unexpected complexities of the situation, his original plan remained unchanged. After all, no matter how he looked at it, a great upheaval was coming to this planet.

He needed power—whether it was military force or personal strength.

"Even though his words aren't entirely true, I think you still need to be cautious—"

Brino and Mireille activated a massive machine, pushing aside the boulders blocking their path.

She approached Leon with an unusually solemn tone he hadn't heard before.

Using a dagger, she cut through the ballistic vest of a rebel whose half-body had been obliterated by the first wave of explosive bolter fire.

On the back of this mutilated rebel, near the neck, a black fleur-de-lis symbol came into view.

Seeing Mireille's confused expression, Leon closed his eyes, briefly reflecting on whether he had committed some grave sin in his previous life.

Was this why he was sent to this cursed world for redemption?

Ultimately, he adjusted his mindset and sighed.

"It seems we're in for trouble—"

Indeed, big trouble.

Leon gazed at the winding mountain path stretching endlessly ahead. As dusk fell, it loomed like a monstrous beast ready to devour anyone foolish enough to challenge its majesty.

-------------------

"I hear the call of war!"

Inside a blood-soaked chapel, Battle Sisters gathered before a sacred statue of the Emperor, fervently praying.

Their original destination was Orlan, a planet within the Giraldo Sector.

This planet had been mired in decades of feudal warfare for various reasons.

However, due to unforeseen circumstances, they had to make an emergency landing on Joachim to handle some unexpected trouble for a high-ranking official of the Ecclesiarchy.

For the Empire, these feuds among feudal lords on remote planets were trivial, as long as the nominal rulers delivered the required taxes within a solar cycle.

The Empire paid no heed to the complex vendettas and intrigues that had accumulated over millennia among the local nobles. But according to intelligence from Imperial Navy informants in the area, something seemed off about Orlan.

The Navy was ordered not to act rashly until the situation was clarified.

The Mechanicus had silently withdrawn their tech-priests from nearby planets a decade ago.

And the Adeptus Administratum' response was even more puzzling.

They began reducing the frequency of tax collections from Orlan, secretly investigating all privateers and merchants who had visited the planet.

An astounding situation indeed—bureaucrats who normally valued taxes above all else suddenly lost interest in collecting them.

Canoness Gladys Legisamon rose to her feet amidst chants praising the Emperor, taking the Sacred Ossuary from the disciplinarian Melissa Perkins.

She handed it to a young Sister clad in bright silver armor. Though her stern face showed seriousness, her gleaming eyes betrayed her excitement.

"Milianne Strauss, in the name of the God-Emperor, the Ecclesiarch, and the saints who have sacrificed for His glory, I hereby appoint you as the Celestian of our squad, entrusted with the safekeeping of the Sacred Relic."

"My honor!"

The young Sister's voice quivered with emotion.

While Gladys maintained a formal smile and solemnly placed the small reliquary in the Sister's hands, encouraging her to remain loyal to the Emperor, her thoughts wandered.

Could anything be more astonishing than the Adeptus Administratum losing interest in taxes?

As absurd as it seemed, such things did exist—

Gladys recalled.

Two days prior, a high-ranking Ecclesiarchy pilgrimage fleet reportedly sighted traces of Astartes warships navigating this sector.

And there wasn't just one.

.....

📢30 advanced chapters on p@treaon📢

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14. The Sisters.

15. Before the Battle.

16. Foundation.

17. I'm Doomed! Surrounded by Sisters of Battle!

18. Stay Here and Wait Quietly.