The Dawn - Church School
The children were fortunate today, for not only did they have the honor of sitting alongside the noble Adeptus Astartes, but they also enjoyed a rare mont of leisure.
They were listening to a story.
Sharing and passing down tales was an inherent right of humanity, and pure, untainted humans naturally gravitated toward a simple, beautiful story.
"Teacher!"
In the classroom, having finished the story, Little Erika raised her hand to ask a question. Her eyes sparkled, brimming with curiosity and anticipation.
"Why did the Great Angel choose a smaller amount of grapes instead of a larger amount of apples?"
Karna smiled faintly, his gentle gaze landing on Little Erika.
"Oh? And what would your choice be, Little Erika?"
Little Erika pondered for a mont before answering earnestly, "I think I would choose the apples. Because I can't afford the grapes, and there are lots of apples. I could bring so to my mom and my older sister, and still have so left for myself."
Though her voice was youthful, it carried a rare sense of determination. Even knowing the grapes tasted better, she still chose the apples.
"Well said. It seems Little Erika deeply values her family."
Karna nodded warmly, offering words of encouragent. His gaze then shifted to the towering Space Marine as he asked, "Seth, what would you choose?"
"Grapes."
Seth declared proudly. His voice was deep and powerful, as if proclaiming so unshakable conviction.
"Because I can take them!"
He actually answered.
Arthur stood in the corner of the classroom, his eye twitching. Watching a giant who had fought wars for centuries compete with a little child was almost too much to bear.
"Indeed. As the Angel's progeny, you ought to have confidence in your own strength."
Karna continued to nod in approval. He then turned his gaze to Silin. The girl, born in the void with hair and eye colors unlike ordinary people, was looking down, appearing sowhat hesitant.
"What about you, Silin?"
Karna's voice remained gentle, encouraging her to speak her mind.
"Actually, I... I want both."
Silin puffed out her cheeks in embarrassnt. Her voice was so quiet it was barely audible, and she twisted her fingers together, looking rather anxious.
This little girl had a bright future ahead of her.
The corners of Karna's lips curled up slightly, a flash of approval in his eyes.
"Exactly. When you want sothing, when you need sothing, you must fight for it. Do not feel that you only deserve the cheap option, or that you only deserve what is simply handed to you."
Karna's voice was soft yet powerful, echoing through the small classroom.
His gaze swept over the face of every child, as if etching these words directly into their souls.
"You deserve to eat better food, wear better clothes, and use better things."
His tone carried an unquestionable certainty, passing on a core conviction to these children. His fingers tapped lightly against the podium, producing a dull, rhythmic thud that added weight to his words.
"You can rely on your own hard work and help one another. If one person isn't enough, then two. If two aren't enough, then gather more."
His voice gradually rose, carrying an inspiring strength.
"If that still isn't enough, then co find us. We will teach you how to fight for it, and we will lead you to claim it."
The children's eyes lit up, as if they saw a glimr of hope in his words. They leaned forward slightly, wanting to get closer and hear more clearly.
"Will you rember this?"
"We'll rember."
The children answered in unison. Though their voices were youthful, they carried a rare firmness. Their eyes sparkled, as if in this mont, they truly believed they could change their own destinies.
"...Today's lesson ends here."
Karna checked his watch. Romulus's scheduling was ticulous; even with Karna adding a lot of his own personal flair, he still finished exactly on ti.
"See you tomorrow."
Standing at the podium, Karna swept his warm gaze over every face in the classroom.
He knew that he couldn't give these children much.
In terms of conviction, the wars these Adeptus Astartes had endured spanned longer than his entire lifespan; they had long grown numb to death.
In terms of suffering, any random child who had clawed their way out of the lower decks or survived the war of Pierred had experienced more hardship than all four transmigrators combined.
The only thing Karna could pass on to them was love.
When it ca to childhoods, the transmigrators confidently believed they had been far happier than over ninety-nine percent of the people in this universe.
Love could not be taught through re words. Fortunately, they had the opportunity to convey it through their actions.
It was going to be a long process.
"Goodbye, teacher!"
Thirty minutes. This lesson, which served as complete relaxation ti for the children, lasted a re thirty minutes.
A relaxed atmosphere perated the classroom, and rare smiles blood on the children's faces.
This ease was destined to be short-lived. Next, they had to study the Ecclesiarchy's scriptures, morize vast stretches of history, learn the specialized knowledge of their respective disciplines, undergo rigorous physical training, and complete the cleaning of the church under the guidance of the matrons.
On average, they spent fourteen hours a day engaged in high-intensity learning.
It sounded exhausting, didn't it?
But there was no other way. This was not the world the transmigrators ca from. This was Warhamr 40k. The absolute best the transmigrators could do was ensure these children beca strong enough before they had to face the cruel universe head-on.
Even the transmigrators could only carve out thirty minutes for them.
Thirty minutes was not a long ti. Compared to the lengthy lifespans of a human, an Adeptus Astartes, or a transmigrator from another world, it was nothing more than a tiny fragnt of life.
Yet, a bond had already ford between them, one that would only grow tighter and stronger in the future.
"..."
Arthur watched the departing children. Their silhouettes looked incredibly frail under the corridor lights, yet they were full of vitality. Their footsteps were brisk, and their laughter echoed through the empty halls, as if they were rejoicing over making a better choice, eager to share and pass on the details of the story with one another.
Right now, they were incapable of grasping the true aning behind the story—
But that was enough.
In the future, when they had to endure boundless darkness, confront this ruthless universe, and learn its horrifying truths amidst terrible hardships...
When they learned of the monsters in the Empyrean that drowned all living beings in agony, realized that they were nothing more than specks of dust in the cosmos, and understood how the Imperium had withered from a vibrant realm into a decaying corpse...
They would think back to today. They would rember that their lives once held monts like this.
Cruel reality would eventually shatter their idealistic romance to pieces, but a warm ray of light, kindled early in their past, would remain to support their minds and souls.
The fulfillnt from their childhood would ultimately heal them for a lifeti.
Arthur's gaze lingered at the end of the corridor until the children's figures completely disappeared. His fingers unconsciously stroked the hilt of the sword at his waist. His expression was detached, yet a faint glimr shone in his eyes—a mix of worry for their future and comfort in the present.
The Adeptus Astartes, whose minds were essentially set in stone, were incredibly difficult to deal with. The Flesh Tearers and the Carcharodons were two absolute extres.
If Karna hadn't been able to charm these progeny of the Angel, the transmigrators had initially planned to dump the responsibility onto Dante, leaving the old man who had ruled the Blood Angels Chapter for over eight hundred years to worry about it.
But now, even Karna himself felt he should take action. Since he possessed a natural advantage, utilizing it to do what he could within his power wasn't a bad idea.
Next, it was ti for specialized knowledge.
Ideological classes were necessary, but so were professional tactical lessons. Only together could they be considered a comprehensive education.
Arthur turned and walked toward the launch bay. Although the Flesh Tearers had just undergone surgery, it was ti to attempt initiating a combat simulation.
Neither Arthur nor Romulus worried about whether the Adeptus Astartes could handle the strain, because ancient Terra had already proven that humanity's capacity for intense, grueling competition was limitless.
Superhumans like the Adeptus Astartes needed to utilize their superhuman brains just as much as they unleashed their superhuman combat power.
Arthur didn't expect every mber of the Flesh Tearers to be like him: running Dark Angels Hexagrammaton combat data with Romulus every day, heading over to Rases's domain to conduct biology-related research, monitoring the internal status of the entire warship, lowering his presence to gather information from unfamiliar sectors, and then casually dueling the upper echelons of various Chapters to bond with them.
He didn't have overly high expectations for the Flesh Tearers, so his demands were simple.
Karna would teach them how to be human, and Arthur would develop new tactical doctrines for this Flesh Tearer force.
These were superhumans chosen by literally grinding hundreds or thousands of peers to death. They wouldn't fail at such a basic task.
The Flesh Tearers might be insane, but they were still a Chapter with a legacy spanning nearly ten thousand years. Tactical knowledge wasn't an issue. The next step was teaching them how to be a qualified Destroyer Squad.
In truth, many Chapters were observing the changes within the Flesh Tearers, especially those who had participated in the Tyranid Swarm war on Pierred. They were keenly watching the enhancents this surgery brought to the Adeptus Astartes. A fighting force like a Destroyer Squad, capable of completely obliterating biomass, was exactly what they would desperately need against the swarms in the future.
As long as the survivability of the Adeptus Astartes could be guaranteed, they too would form their own Primarch Honor Guards.
What's that? Did you say Destroyer Squad?
No, that's a Primarch Honor Guard. We ford it to honor the mory of our Primarch. The Codex Astartes explicitly states that such units can be established, and it doesn't even restrict their wargear. So what if we use so high-yield weaponry?
Anyone who dares co investigate will conveniently get lost in the Warp.
——
Upon receiving their training orders, the Flesh Tearers stood up in unison, a solemn expression washing over their faces.
No matter how reluctant they were to leave, they would never disobey a combat directive.
Only in monts like this did they truly resemble a group of professional soldiers.
"Lord Karna,"
Seth looked at Karna, who was still lost in thought inside the classroom, and asked with a hint of anticipation,
"Will we be able to et in a setting like this again?"
Although he honestly couldn't comprehend what the Great Angel was trying to teach them, he was profoundly captivated by this sense of peace and tranquility.
"Of course."
Karna chuckled and waved his hand. Looking at the Flesh Tearers, he silently planned to have the Blood Angels send so of their own n over as well.
"See you tomorrow."
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