B3 Chapter 67: The Wheels of Progress 𝒻𝑟𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝑛𝘰𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝘤𝘰𝘮

Tiberius stepped out of the teleportation circle and back into the grand stone halls of Novara’s capital. Lucius followed right on his heels, then the Grand Mage himself and the rest of their entourage. The Legionnaire guards nodded to their counterparts, who now guarded the room, but they still did a quick visual sweep to ensure their emperor’s safety. A fact that did not slip by Tiberius unnoticed.

Their time in Habersville and the elven forest had been profitable. It had taken a day longer than he would have preferred, given the insistence of the elves on hosting a banquet in his name and whatnot. That had led to the inevitable fate of more politicking and socialization, as well as the discovery that such long-lived beings had quite a poor grasp of time and its passage. Evidently, the elves considered it a given that he would remain for at least a year or two to work through the various agreements they’d made. Perhaps that was why they’d taken no offense at his delayed visit—to them, it had hardly been a blink since the Legion’s arrival.

It was one of the downsides of a republic like theirs. Bureaucratic bloat tended to grow until it became unwieldy and difficult to navigate. And ten thousand years of bureaucratic bloat left to accumulate? He could only shudder at the thought. At least he was able to cut through such things in order to grease the wheels of progress.

That wasn’t to say he wished to tear down their System entirely, far from it. He would give the elves time to adjust before truly pushing to make major changes. The empire was not merely an ancient code of ethics and practices long forgotten by the world. It lived and breathed, growing with its people and its conquests. Without that, its leaders may well find themselves torn down from power by a mob of dissatisfied men.

After millennia of loyalty, they had earned at least some consideration. Though the time he could give would almost certainly be far too little in their eyes.

Either way, it was done now. The empire would benefit greatly from its province to the east. A quite favorable trade agreement had been reached, and envoys would soon help kickstart agriculture and farming across Rome. They would even have elves to staff the various projects that Tiberius would soon establish to indoctrinate the populace into the Roman way of life. These alone would take a significant burden off his own forces, as full bellies and an integration of their beliefs would hopefully keep them pacified.

Their first batch of auxiliaries was also en route to the capital. It would take a few more days for them to arrive, but not as long as he’d feared. The centurion in charge of their training had done well. Hopefully, he would keep up the good work for the next batch he sent to Habersville as well.

The war in the west, the incoming elven envoys, recruitment and training… So many matters needed tending to. And yet he only had so many loyal Legionnaires. With any luck, that would soon change.

Tiberius’s steps clicked against the stone floor as he swept from the room and into the hall. “Lucius. Report on what has occurred since I’ve been away.”

The man nodded, his eyes flashing for a moment as he collected the information from the handful of other Legionnaires in their communication network. “In the north, one of the observation posts was razed to the ground. It was unmanned, as the contubernium stationed in the area was called away to deal with a minor monster outbreak. As such, they are uncertain about the culprit.”

“Feh,” Grand Mage Claude shook his head with disappointment. “It’s probably those stupid lizards.”

Tiberius arched a questioning eyebrow, motioning for the ancient man to continue. “The north’s always had a bit of a dragon problem. At least, it used to.”

The emperor tapped a finger on his bicep. The fact that dragons existed hardly phased him at this point. “I see. And these dragons… Do they stage attacks such as this regularly?”

“Eh.” The man waggled a gnarled hand back and forth. “Not really. Most of the old ones are happy to laze about on their hoards, but the young ones just love to get out and cause trouble sometimes. Really, you’d think they learn…”

Tiberius frowned, but nodded. It seemed that this wasn’t an overt act of aggression or war—a good thing, considering he hardly had the resources to open up another. And if this were a relatively standard occurrence, then perhaps it could be left alone for now. He would simply have to warn the men stationed there.

Lucius continued down the list of comparatively routine reports until another piece of news caught Tiberius’s attention. “Legatus Gaius reports new information on the strange phenomenon they encountered in the west.”

The Grand Mage perked up. “Strange phenomenon?”

The man’s eyes held a hungry glint that Tiberius was becoming all too familiar with. Still, he had been meaning to ask about it. This seemed a perfect opportunity.

The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.

Tiberius wordlessly led Lucius and Claude into his study for a more private conversation. Only then did he speak. “Our men report that their skills were deactivated.”

The simple statement caused the Grand Mage to go still. “They… they what?”

Lucius stepped in to elaborate. “The effect appeared to encompass everyone, both them and their enemies, within a circle approximately a mile in diameter. Skill usage was restored upon leaving this circle, and after its expiration, approximately three hours later.”

For the first time, Tiberius watched as the ancient mage was stunned to silence. But it only lasted a moment.

“Where was this? When?” He practically leaped on Lucius to demand answers. “How? Did anyone take measurements of the mana density before and after? No, of course they wouldn’t…”

The flood of questions was unending, and Tiberius had to signal a pair of Legionnaires to drag the mage off the poor aide. He didn’t resist, although it took a moment for Claude to regain his senses. Lucius only glared at the man.

“Am I to understand that this phenomenon is strange to you as well, then?” Tiberius asked.

“Strange? Strange? It’s impossible!” Claude began to pace. “At least, it should be. Not even the gods should be able to interrupt communications with the System like that. Not without spending an enormous amount of energy… I’ve heard of abilities that can neutralize a single skill, and even a few spells, but even those are narrow in scope and prohibitively expensive. Even some of my most efficient arrays wouldn’t be able to generate enough mana for a theoretical test on this scale. How in the world are orcs pulling it off?”

Claude stopped in the middle of the room, then spun and began marching toward the window. Tiberus called after him. “Where do you think you’re going?”

“West!” Claude answered. “Where else? I must investigate this myself!”

“No. You will not.”

Claude froze in place. Slowly, he turned to face Tiberius. “Excuse me. Did you just attempt to give me an order?”

“I did,” Tiberius said simply. “One that you will comply with. Or have you forgotten your ambitions to join the Legion?”

The two men stared each other down. But this was not a battle Tiberius was willing to lose. Letting an asset like Claude fly haphazardly into an active warzone, one with strange powers at play, was foolish beyond measure. And if the man insisted on going despite that… Then it would show that he was not fit to become a Legionnaire. If he couldn’t follow orders from his emperor, then how would he respect the authority of a Legatus?

“Investigating this phenomenon will be of benefit to us both, emperor.” Claude put obvious effort into addressing Tiberius respectfully. “Why would you keep me from researching it?”

“Because of the risk. Such things need to be approached with caution. Especially given that they could neuter your capabilities entirely.”

“Feh.” Claude waved a dismissive hand. “You don’t get as old as I am without a few tricks up my sleeve. I can do plenty of mana manipulation even without my skills.”

“And if this field also negates spellcasting? Or mana usage? What then?”

The mage was silent at that. Tiberius turned to his aide. “Have there been any other sightings of this weapon?”

“The effect has not been used again since its first activation,” Lucius provided. “We’re uncertain if they’re able to activate it again, but we’re assuming the worst.”

“Good. Report back as soon as you receive updates.” Tiberius turned toward the mage. “As for you… I agree that having you study this phenomenon would be to our mutual benefit. However, you said it yourself. You lack the energy reserves to even fathom replicating the effect on the scale we’ve seen. Which means one thing.”

The Grand Mage’s eyebrows rose. “Then…”

“Considering the circumstances, I am willing to expedite your training,” Tiberius confirmed. “But I will not eschew it entirely. Prove to me that you can be half the Legionnaire that Lucius is, and I will send you to the front lines myself. You will gain access to all of the resources at our disposal. But. If you fail to display proper respect or capabilities, you will receive no second chances.”

The old mage’s grin widened with newfound enthusiasm. “Well! I suppose I should get to it then! Time’s a-wastin’!”

With that, the man practically bounded from the room—thankfully making for the door rather than the window he’d initially aimed for. Tiberius shook his head. He’d received word that the man had been studying Rome and its ways, so Tiberius had far less to worry about on that front. However, he did wonder how he’d fare in the physical portion of training. He’d make a point to check on whatever centurion ended up stuck looking over the man. At least he was easy to control.

As the door slammed shut, Tiberius sighed and returned his attention to Lucius. “Any other matters I should be aware of?”

“No, milord,” the man shook his head. “We are spread thin, but the lack of open rebellion means that things have been manageable. Even within the capital, we have had little opposition. What unrest we have seen has been thoroughly squashed, and what Legionnaires can be spared are being gathered to send westward.”

That elicited a frown. “What of the churches?”

“They have been relatively quiet recently. We’ve had no opposition from them, either.”

Tiberius’s frown deepened. He didn’t like that. The fact that they hadn't raised any issues should have been reassuring, but he couldn't help but feel a bit suspicious. Especially given the threat the Roman pantheon posed to their oligopoly.

He stood, gesturing to Lucius. “Come. I believe it's well past time that I met with some of these church leaders myself.”

It would be the quickest way to unearth any hint of conspiracy against him. Because, regardless of appearances, he refused to believe that they really were content to do nothing.