The Grey Knights posed a serious issue, but not a fatal one for Alex and his allies.
Whether Rostov II harbored Chaos corruption was uncertain, even to Alex.
In the Imperium, underhives breeding minor Chaos cults was so common that their absence suggested something else was amiss.
These cults rarely caused significant trouble. Hive enforcers or Arbites could handle them—pathetic groups unable to perform proper rituals, name daemons, or summon even lesser entities like Bloodletters or Daemonettes.
Turning to Chaos wasn't easy. Most cultists struggled to gain the attention of the Ruinous Powers, or even minor daemons or aspiring Chaos sorcerers. Only ambitious warband leaders or daemons chasing KPIs bothered with them.
Such trivialities didn't warrant a Grey Knight's attention, nor even Astartes deployment. Rostov II's situation was similar—small-time cults with no proper rituals or Chaos blessings, mere believers posing no real threat.
Kardja wasn't here for them. Grey Knights ignored anything less than a greater daemon summoning.
But Kardja understood the significance of the Holy Blessed Wine, "Loyalty," vital even to the Grey Knights. That's why he came.
His primary task: assess potential Chaos threats on the planet. If none existed, he'd establish a barrier against Chaos incursions and stay by Alex's side to ensure he remained untainted by heresy.
This was a rare mission for a Grey Knight, who typically didn't serve as advisors or bodyguards. Since their founding, their role was the Imperium's final defense against Chaos.
For ten millennia, they fulfilled the Emperor and Malcador's charge but inevitably entangled with the Inquisition and other Imperial factions, dragging them into matters beyond daemon-slaying.
Protecting Alex from Chaos was outside their usual duties, yet unavoidable.
"Figsin, deliver this document to the Grand Sister," the novice instructor handed a file to the young novice, tasking her with an errand.
As a standout among the novices, Figsin was favored by the instructor, who involved her in more convent duties, grooming her for a leadership role.
Figsin sensed the trust but remained humble, holding herself to stricter standards, earning greater approval from the convent.
Taking the document, she left the training camp for the monastery.
With the influx of novices, the monastery's training grounds were overwhelmed. Through their sweat and effort, the novices built a new training camp beside it.
As the surrounding city grew, the path from camp to monastery became a bustling market street.
Locals opened shops selling faith-related items: crude Emperor statues, ritual supplies for pilgrims.
The monastery's sisters crafted amulets and booklets of the Emperor's sayings, selling them to fund aid for the poor and pilgrims.
Rostov II, a pilgrimage stop, saw a surge in visitors due to the Holy Blessed Wine's fame and the sector Ecclesiarchy's promotion, making the street ever livelier.
On her way, Figsin saw devotees kneeling toward Holy Terra, some flagellating themselves or burning candles atop their heads.
She understood flagellation—physical pain often deepened faith and offered redemption. It was common in the camp for novices to face or self-administer it for penance.
But extreme acts, like burning oneself, baffled her. Faith in the Emperor took many forms, but weren't such acts a waste of His currency? Lives should serve greater purposes, not just fuel the pyre of faith.
Figsin kept these near-heretical thoughts private, aware of her immaturity and need for growth.
After praying for a kneeling devotee, she reached the monastery.
To her surprise, it was busy with guests. The planetary governor's chamberlain guided an Angel of the Emperor through the halls, accompanied by the Grand Sister, discussing something significant.
Figsin stepped aside, waiting to deliver the document, curious about what could bring an Emperor's Angel to the planet.
(End of Chapter)