For the Glory of Rome: Chronicles of an Isekai'd Legion

B2 Chapter 51: Posting Up

Tiberius leaned back in his seat, his stomach as full as the plate before him was empty. Around the table before him sat a collection of Hausten's most influential merchants, their own food still mostly intact. The men and women wore an array of finery and what were certain to be rare and expensive accessories about their persons, ones that Tiberius himself could only somewhat appreciate in light of their gaudy peacocking.

But despite their attempts to exude calmness, Tiberius could tell the merchants were anything but. A few hid their absent-minded fidgeting beneath the table while others took in their surroundings with sharp eyes despite outwardly carefree demeanors. Not a single one of them acted or spoke in line with their true thoughts. Just like politicians, really.

"Truly, I look forward to doing business within your territory, Emperor Tiberius." One of them said with an almost genuine-looking smile. "Why, already I have seen a number of things that I and my closest associates would take great interest in acquiring for ourselves—materials and skill specializations both."

"Indeed." A pudgy man agreed with a rapid series of nods. He was the only other man with an empty plate before him. "I can certainly see routes forward for such things. Especially if the exports of iron from Stonewa— er, Stonester are able to be regulated back down to previous levels once more…"

A tawny merchant decked out in deep red velvets scoffed. "Davin, as soon as they do, you'll simply find something else to complain about. Just be grateful that the emperor here is even willing to negotiate rather than overthrow your chokehold on the metal trade outright."

Davin sniffled. "An offer which I very much appreciate. Unlike those who would use these uncertain times to sneak through trade agreement rewrites to their exclusive benefit. But I'm sure you would know nothing about that, Tain."

The two men gave each other saccharine smiles that didn't reach their eyes. Tiberius simply sighed inwardly. All of the merchants had been engaging in such petty battles throughout the entire lunch, though these two were by far the worst offenders. It had been quite informative regarding each person's specialties and what they wanted out of these dealings. But at this point, it was beginning to grate on Tiberius.

He briefly closed his eyes. Tiberius had taken to granting audiences like this somewhat regularly as a way of keeping in touch with the more influential members of the local populace. It was something that he was making an effort to be more aware of. An emperor should be knowledgeable about the goings-on of his empire, after all. Though he kept things casual for his own sanity.

Yet the way these merchants acted had him reconsidering the whole ordeal. Not to mention their complaints. Sure, the influx of raw ore from Stonester might lead to a temporary decrease in profits for this Davin fellow. But as the market demand caught up from the Legion's own uses and the demands of their burgeoning empire, that wouldn't be the case for long. Especially as they began to disseminate the more interesting ores that his men had been working on refining.

As the merchants went back and forth, Tiberius started to tune them out. Instead, he considered the state of their most recent conquest.

He was finally almost satisfied with the state of the Wellshire barony. It had taken nearly a full week to get things in order. But while they technically had control of the territory according to the System, Tiberius had little faith in the amount of respect that commanded. He much preferred to confirm things the old fashioned way.

His Legionnaires had spread out across the countryside to sweep over the rest of the province. It had taken time for them to cover everything, but less than expected.

One of his more enthusiastic centurions had discovered that the effects of [Warpath] could be activated if one harbored an intent to forcefully subjugate their destination, regardless of whether a blue peaceful agreement was reached upon their arrival. The discovery had cut the men's already short travel time into a fraction of what it had been.

Of course, the strategy didn't work for everyone. It seemed that the System could sniff out dishonesty or attempts to employ such a workaround duplicitously. But for his more aggressive units? It was quite the boon.

Luckily for the populace, there were only a handful of small towns that attempted defiance. Aside from those cases, his cohorts rushed over the land like a tide, settling any legal disputes, recruiting members for their auxiliaries, and improving defenses. At this point, it was fairly rare for them to station soldiers anywhere other than the largest population centers or at sites of resistance to keep the peace and follow through on any necessary executions.

Interestingly, the people of Wellshire seemed relatively ambivalent toward the change in local leadership. Especially once they learned that taxes would decrease. It made Tiberius wonder at the complete lack of loyalty to their previous rulers. Was it a cultural thing? Or was the late baron simply that bad at his job that they were willing to give anyone new a chance?

Either way, it didn't inspire confidence in how reliable they would be toward Rome. Although they'd make efforts to change that. In a generation or two, they would hopefully be able to convert a majority of the population to true citizens of some sort.

Tiberius returned to the present to hear the merchants still exchanging barely-concealed barbs and attempting to jockey for more influence or better deals. This meeting had long since outlived its usefulness.

He looked toward Lucius, one of his aides, with an expression that would've been unreadable to most. However, Tiberius trusted the man. Lucius had worked with him long enough to understand his look, of that he was certain.

Lucius began to flip through a stack of neverending reports at his side, ones that had arrived during this lunch. He picked one out seemingly at random, his eyebrows rising as he snapped to attention.

"Emperor, there is a matter that requires your attention."

Tiberius gave an inward sigh of relief as the man stepped forward to hand him the paper. Taking it, the Legatus briefly looked at it and stood from his chair. "It seems that I must cut our meeting short. You all are welcome to stay and finish your meals in my absence."

The merchants stood as the tawny one spoke. "Of course, emperor. Best of luck with your task."

He caught each of them attempting to read the paper in his hand as though they could see through it. However, he kept it subtly angled away from their prying eyes. They bowed obsequiously as he strode out of the room, his personal guard falling into step around him.

Once the door had shut, Tiberius nodded gratefully at Lucius. The aide's mouth twitched in the faintest hint of a smile.

Now that he was free, Tiberius took the opportunity to take a closer look at the report. It was… strange, to say the least.

"Lucius." The Legatus turned one of the pages toward his aide. "Is this some manner of joke?"

The page was a poster, one soliciting information about a lost pet. That alone was enough to raise Tiberius's eyebrows, since it was clearly something that shouldn't have reached his desk. Except for the fact that the poster didn't depict any manner of creature that he'd ever seen. Instead, the rather detailed drawing of a scaly pink lizardlike beast adorned the poster.

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Lucius cleared his throat. "It is not, sir. The depiction of the creature matches the reports we received of the powerful and high-level beast that the Primus Pilus encountered during his return to Habersville.

"The idea that such a creature is considered anyone's 'pet' is a matter of concern on its own. Yet more troubling is the matter of the men putting up these posters."

Tiberius continued reading as Lucius spoke. Evidently, the men in question were almost as noteworthy as their lost pet. Level thirty-seven and forty-five [Mage]s, based on the men that had been ordered to watch them. They'd been seen making their way throughout the town to put up the posters on notice boards and in taverns.

"Has anyone approached these mages?" Tiberius asked.

The aide shook his head. "No, sir. Not directly, though they have made contact with some of the local populace. The men have orders to observe until further notice. They've caused no trouble, nor has anyone caused trouble for them. So far, at least.

"Considering their levels, approaching them is something that we believe needs to be approached delicately. Our information indicates that spellcasters of that level are not only rare, but a significant threat if agitated. They are practically walking calamities. It might take two or three cohorts to bring each of them down, and we could expect heavy losses, depending on their specialty."

Tiberius nodded. He could believe that. The mage that had fought alongside that adventuring party had been around level twenty, and she'd been hard enough to deal with. Given that power didn't scale linearly, Tiberius was not particularly keen to test themselves against these two. Not without ample preparations and the element of surprise.

"Although…" Lucius hesitated. At a questioning look from Tiberius, the man continued. "There is one more strange matter. Their ages. The men are old—old enough to be my grandfather or great grandfather even. And yet they introduced themselves to one of the local tavern keepers as apprentices."

"Apprentices?" The Legatus asked to confirm.

"Yes, sir."

He hummed thoughtfully. That obviously implied the existence of a master as well. And given the strength of these two individuals, anyone they would be willing to refer to as "master" would be a terror indeed.

"Where are these men now?"

"They were last seen nearby, at the western square." Lucius answered immediately. "I can inquire as to their exact location if you wish."

"Do." Tiberius nodded. "I intend to speak with these individuals myself."

The aide swallowed as the guards around them tensed. "Is that wise, Legatus?"

He nodded, forgiving the man's doubt. He understood such hesitation.

"Considering the threat that these two individuals pose, it is in our best interest to treat them as representatives of an independent state rather than as wandering civilians. I also admit some curiosity as to their purpose here. " Tiberius gestured to the poster. "From everything I have heard, they appear peaceful, but a respectful approach will ensure that things remain they way."

Lucius hesitated, then saluted. "It will be done, sir. I believe centurion Antonius was the one who delivered the report. I will inquire further with him before we make our way toward the two individuals."

The aide sent out a pair of runners to fetch the centurion and confirm the location of the mages. By the time Tiberius had reached the exit of the manor, the centurion was marching alongside them. Their escort cut through the bustling crowd of the city allowing Tiberius to walk through a nearly open road unopposed. They moved like a fish upstream, disrupting traffic enough to draw a considerable amount of attention.

As they moved, Tiberius paid careful attention to the disposition of the people. He saw a few dark, fearful looks and mutters, but no overt actions taken against him or the Legionnaires. The lack of rotten fruit was also a marked improvement. Respect was still a ways off, but they would get there. People were already seeing the benefits of living under Roman rule. And once they had finished their improvements to the city, life would get even better.

It didn't take long to reach their destination. Tiberius spotted a pair of old, gray-haired men tacking one of the posters onto a bulletin board as they entered the open square. Despite the relatively business of the area, he noted that people seemed to give them a wide berth.

As they approached, Tiberius quickly realized why. The two men had a presence. They seemed to exude power where they stood, not just in their bearing but in some intangible way that he couldn't describe.

He stood his ground as the pair turned toward him. If these were just the apprentices… Well, perhaps this was even more of a threat than he'd expected.

***

The trouble with cities was that they were always in flux. Always growing, shrinking, being built anew or razed to the ground. It seemed like every time Grand Mage Claude visited one, it had a different name or someone else in charge.

"Hmmm… those helmets and banners don't look familiar." One of his apprentices noted as they entered through the city gates.

"I thought not." Claude rubbed his chin and eyed the strange red plumes atop the nearest soldier's helm. "Who's supposed to rule these lands? It's the Khanate, right?"

Another one of the apprentices looked over. "Er… that was four hundred years ago, master. They were deposed roughly two hundred years ago, and the area fell into chaos until the Novaran Kingdom rose to power. I believe they claim these plains now. Though I seem to recall their military looking different as well…"

"Novara…" Grand Mage Claude searched his memory. "Nope. Doesn't ring a bell."

"It started as a branch of the Gerald Dynasty, from the Immortal Dragon Empire far, far to the north. Then, around a hundred and fifty years ago…"

"Don't care." The Grand Mage waved away the explanation. "You said these guys look different from them too, though? Seems like they're not in charge anymore then."

"It certainly seems that way." The apprentice said, humming thoughtfully.

"All right!" Claude clapped his hands together, drawing the attention of his apprentices to himself. "Let's get started. We're close enough now that we should be in the right vicinity. If we're lucky, maybe we'll get another reading to more accurately pinpoint the location while we're here. If we're not, we can still ask around."

Claude doled out tasks to his apprentices. Some went to find lodging while others were sent to inquire amongst the cityfolk and search for anything with a large magical signature. He cast a simple concealment spell over each of them so that they would avoid being hassled and could go about their tasks in relative peace. Except for the two newest apprentices. They were weak enough that Claude didn't deem it necessary. They got the shit job of putting up fliers looking for Rufus.

The Grand Mage himself found a comfortable spot near the center of the city to sit and meditate. He settled in atop a small bench and closed his eyes, activating [Mana Sense]. His awareness expanded outward and kept expanding until he felt nearly the entire city's fluctuations in his bones.

He sat there for a few minutes, feeling around for anything near the scale of what they had detected. Yet there was nothing. The usual minor ripples caused by skill use, of course, but nothing on the level of what he was hoping for.

Claude focused, remaining aware in case another surge happened to occur by chance. Yet he found his patience being tested as the once distant sound of shouting and construction began to draw nearer. The pounding of hammers and grating of stone on stone filled his ears until it was practically all he could pay attention to.

His eye twitched. After one particularly calamitous thud, Claude's eyes flew open, ready to yell at the laborers working so loudly when people just wanted some peace and quiet. But the words died on his lips.

A massive archway had appeared above the entrance to the square, seemingly out of thin air. Looking down the road, it was simply the latest in a long series of arches that now stretched off into the distance.

Claude stared with renewed interest. A team of eight men wearing those red plumed helmets moved down the road toward him, conjuring new blocks of stone to set atop one another for another arch. They fit the massive blocks together perfectly before using mortar to seal them in place.

He couldn't help but chuckle. Young earth mages like these were always so quick to resort to conjuration. In reality, such acts were incredibly inefficient as skills, and even more so as spells. It was far better to simply move the material one wanted to work with from one location to another. Why, these whippersnappers were liable to keel over at any moment from the sheer amount of mana or stamina they were using.

Claude crossed his arms and waited. And waited. And waited some more. But the group didn't pass out. Rather, they finished their arch and somehow still had the resources to start on another one. Behind them, a second group chiseled off the rough edges and smoothed it all down to create a more beautiful structure.

His jaw hung open. Claude watched them place three more arches in the space of an hour, not a single one of them showing signs of fatigue, burnout, or even a risk of fainting. It was impossible.

Just as impossible, perhaps, as the phenomenon he'd been searching for.