Imperator: Resurrection of an Empire-Chapter 419 - 414 - Pest Control

The shift from balcony sunlight to the quiet shadow of my private office felt almost ceremonial.

Here—behind thick stone walls reinforced by system made foundations, and arbitrary security forces—was where the empire truly moved.

No crowds.

No ceremony.

Just maps, reports, and decisions that rippled outward until men bled and borders changed.

I sat behind a broad desk of dark wood, my fingers steepled beneath my chin.

Across from me, Serena sat with her legs crossed, a thin tablet of parchment resting on her knee—not because she needed it, but because old habits died hard.

Her eyes, however, weren’t on the parchment.

They were on me.

Or more precisely... on the empty air in front of me.

Because at this moment the system window was wide open between us, the only two within the entire empire, possibly the world who could see the screen that comprised my system.

And within that screen to me—

The world unfolded.

A translucent map expanded across my vision, spanning hundreds of kilometers.

Greecia.

Once a proud, fractured land of city-states and rival philosophies.

Now a vassal web of provinces tied to Romanus by treaties, tribute, and legionary boots.

Red and amber markers pulsed gently across the surface of the map however.

Not open rebellion.

Not yet.

Resistance cells.

Effectively no better than bandits, raiding remote villages, disrupting trade and travel, attempting to ambush patrols.

Classic insurgency behavior.

I focused.

The map zoomed in, terrain sharpening into rolling hills, olive groves, stone roads laid down centuries ago by Roman hands long since weathered.

Expedition Legion XII — "Iron Dawn."

Five thousand strong.

Veteran core.

Auxiliary scouts embedded.

Commander: Legate Cassian Thorne.

I tapped the marker—not physically, but with intent.

The system responded instantly.

Thanks to the system i had a birds eye view of everything his legion could see right now, the same went for everything that was ’technically’ under my control, which easily helpt to pinpoint the insurgent locations as blackspots on my map where the system vision couldnt penetrate.

Overlaying these location with information dug up by Root, and well i could see the whole picture.

Using the remote command ability, i sent the commander an order.

"Your scouts are being watched," I replied calmly. "Pull them back five hundred meters from the western ridge. You’re silhouetted at dawn."

A pause.

Before on screen the dots began to shift about the scouts ahead of the army began to double back following the order given as the battle horns and flags passed the emperors command from afar.

Serena inhaled softly.

"You didn’t send a runner," she said quietly. "You didn’t use a relay."

"No," I replied. "Didn’t need to."

The fog of war pressed in at the edges of the map—gray, opaque, hiding what no Romanus eyes could yet see.

I leaned forward.

"Advance the third cohort along the old aqueduct route. Quietly. No banners."

That road hadnt been used seriously in decades perhaps longer, but like an old loggers trail if everyone knew no one used it, but then suddenly its used, the enemy would simply see an army that just disappeared.

On the map, a red dot blinked, then fractured into several smaller markers attempting to scatter.

I smiled.

"Net them."

I issued commands faster than words.

Second cohort pivots.

Cavalry detachment sweeps east.

Archers reposition on elevation points I knew—because I could see them.

Not from above like a god.

But like a player who had memorized the terrain after dozens of runs.

The resistance cell never stood a chance.

From Serena’s perspective, I sat unmoving, just a man in complete control of the situation.

Eyes unfocused.

Breathing slow.

Hands resting lightly on the desk.

And yet—

She watched on as the series of dots bearing various symbols move and dance about on the projection before her, watching as the concerto of actions coalesced into a masterclass of tactical maneuvering.

Within minutes the legion had very effectively encountered, engaged and defeated the first of the Athenian cells within allied territory, cleansing the site before being ordered to make tracks for the next location.

"You’re commanding them," she murmured. "Actively."

"Yes."

"From hundreds of kilometers away."

"Yes."

Her fingers tightened slightly on her parchment.

This world had Aura abilities and most of these came in the form of something akin to magic, be it sword skills, healing arts, or even command abilities. 𝘧𝘳𝘦ℯ𝓌𝘦𝒷𝘯𝑜𝑣𝘦𝓁.𝒸𝘰𝓂

But in the end nothing, absolutely nothing recording in ancient history or even the modern age even came close to what she was seeing before her eyes now.

Many had tried to take the title of Emperor for themselves, but to her.

Right here right now, what she was seeing in front of her eyes, was exactly what it took to be an emperor.

A divine right to rule, and not just from a throne, but to omnipotently rule from afar.

Commanding ones armies with impunity from the safety and security of the palace, all while still remaining actively involved in the threats of the nation.

~

"Cassian. Halt. Shields up. Do not pursue the fleeing group."

After the legion advanced to the second location, the initial fight was brief, with the insurgents running right after engaging.

Seeing this Julius order his commander to stop his forces.

They had nowhere to go, running now especially with so little numbers meant only one of two things.

1: They had already been whittled down to these numbers by other patrols or actions.

or

2: They were feigning retreat attempting to lead the legion on, into an ambush.

Thankfully Julius had the system showing him that the ridges were barred from his view, with the legion unmoving, the traps laying in wait were wasted and a rockslide that engulfed the fleeing men was merely witnessed by the legions soldiers, before getting the order to begin the climb up the hills to deal with the real insurgents.

I gave the final command.

"Encircle. Capture leaders alive. Burn nothing."

On the map, the last red markers flickered... then vanished.

I exhaled slowly.

If this was truly a game, the UI would be displaying a message like this righ about now.

Losses: Minimal.

Intel gained: Significant.

Local unrest: Neutralized.

Only this report was only what i could summarize from what i had seen through the system.

The men receiving my orders could not respond back to me, only take what i commanded of them.

This was a flaw in the system i felt but, still it was better than not having it at all.

Only commanding in such a way, while making me feel reminiscent to years ago before i came to this world when this was all just a game to me, when all the battles were conducted in such a way.

Only now i had gotten to experience these wars and battles from the front lines with my very own eyes, and not only was there the experience gain received from being there physically, but something in my blood burned with desire to be the one in command, to be the one wielding the blade that would end the enemies lives.

My thinking darkened, but before i could wind up in a dark place, a hand reached across my desk, and gripping onto my hand.

"Don’t rush off to the battlefield so soon, my emperor. We havent had our fill of you just quite yet to accept something like that."