Imperator: Resurrection of an Empire-Chapter 420 - 415 - Nana:

Serena’s fingers were warm around mine—steady, grounding.

The heat of her touch cut through the phantom sensations that still lingered whenever I used the System too long.

The split between who i was before, issuing commands and witnessing battles through my screen, and now imagining the screams and cries of battle, the sight and smell of the fields of death produced from those actions.

I exhaled slowly, letting the map dissolve completely.

"I wasn’t planning on leaving," I said quietly.

Serena smiled, not unkindly. "You weren’t planning on it," she agreed. "You were wanting it."

I didn’t deny it.

~

For the next several days, that became the rhythm of my life.

I ruled from the desk.

Not with decrees or speeches, but with intent, vision, and the quiet omnipresence of the System.

Each morning, I opened the strategic interface.

Each evening, I closed it only after the last urgent marker dimmed.

Parthia’s border unrest was the first to be addressed—spies, mercenaries, and even smuggled illegal immigrants had managed to pass into the province, through the border with Itar, or landing further south avoiding the Navies patrols of the eastern seaboard.

The number of those entering the empires territory was fairly significant.

At a guess aside from those entering with malicious intent, such as spies both from the coalition and Visigoth there were also common peoples fleeing the coalition lands seeking safe haven in the Empire, before the true might of Visigoth can rebuff their initial gains, and drop the hammer embroiling all their lands in the flames of war and reducing much if not all to ashes just like they had done with the former Honor Kingdom.

While at the same time, in the northwest, there were a number of tribal skirmishes going on, as the Germanic hordes fought between their two factions.

The Imperialists who sought to bend the knee and join as subordinates to my Empire, while the others were the Loyalists, those who fought to preserve the current tribal states, keep their independence, and avoid becoming subservient to anyone at all.

Unlike in the East this fight did not require i send legions, if anything this could be called an internal matter, and aside from intervening in case Visigoth entered first, there was no reason to do so, beyond preventing a future vassal from weakening itself before hand.

But the Empires strength was in quality not quantity.

So if the germans needed to purge a few tens of thousands before reaching a consensus, then that was fine for me, those who survived would be the elite, who could rise quickly within the Imperial armies, forming the first Germanic legions a vanguard force for our eventual invasion of the Visigoths to our north.

~

Meanwhile In Greecia, Legion XII continued its sweep, dismantling resistance cells with surgical efficiency.

Every ambush against them failed.

Every retreat was anticipated.

Occasionally news arrived via root pigeons, and crows compiling a list of targets all of whom were from Athenia, well aside from one, one band of troublemaker had actually come from our ally Sparta...

It seemed that Athenian tongue wagging was hard at work, enough so that the Spartans who only existed to this day, thanks to our intervention in the Greecian unification war and restoring their origional territory, had started sending forces to do something within our newly subjugated Greecian provinces.

Worst case they would start a two front war, sandwiching our Greecian legion from east and west between Athenian, and Spartan forces.

Though compared to the dozens of teams sent by Athenia, this single force from Sparta could just infact be a bandit force created due to being ousted from Sparta due to their failings in the previous war.

~

My fiance and future empress Serena sat with me often. 𝕗𝗿𝕖𝐞𝐰𝗲𝕓𝐧𝕠𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝐨𝚖

Sometimes reading.

Sometimes writing.

Sometimes just watching as the impossible unfolded before her eyes.

Yuri on the otherhand remained unaware of my grand secret, but not becuase i wanted to keep it from her, i even figured if Joan, her other persona knew about my power she would give up her resistance and return Yuri back to me fully.

Instead when i tried bringing it up, it was Yuri herself to stopped me.

She stated she knew i had a secret, and whie pleased to know i was willing to expose this secret to her, she would rather i did not... at least for the time being.

She like me had a feeling whatever the secret was, was nothing we needed to worry about save for if she caused Yuri to run away exposing the secret to the entire world.

But instead Yuri feared, something else... something she wasnt willing to reveal to me at this time.

I didn’t press and instead left the princess to do whatever she wanted.

~

The most immediate threats to Romanus quieted within the week.

Borders steadied.

Trade resumed.

Messages marked urgent became rare again.

The empire breathed easier.

~

At this time in the Eastern Nation of Antiochia.

Leaf Agent Nana was busy doing her duty as one of the few who passed training and received the O.K from command to begin operations outside the country itself.

Though if there was one thing that was a problem for Nana it was her hatred for Sand.

Which at the present moment was a serious problem.

She currently was sitting on the backseat of a covered wagon, a hired guard for a merchant caravan, one that was trundling its way slowly along the pathways of the Antiochia States, as it travelled eastward bound for The Ancient State.

However like most eastern geography the lands were harsh and unforgiving.

Endless wastes covering most of the land, and presently the caravan was travelling what could be called sandstorm, or rather a duststorm.

Sand crept into boots, into clothes, into hair no matter how tightly she wrapped herself.

The sun was relentless, the nights cruelly cold.

There was nowhere to hide except in the open—where you pretended you belonged.

She adjusted the scarf around her face and continued breathing all the while she wished for the power of aura to unleash holy fire upon the flying particles to turn them into glass just so she could smash them into dust all over again.

Leafs cover was good, she was afterall skilled in combat but at the same time unremarkable.

She could easily enter a company of mercenaries if she wanted to, but stand on the frontlines of a war going toe-to-toe with the enemies heavyweights.

Not a chance.

She was at the level of dealing with regular soldiers one at a time.

and conidering the state of her dress as a proper maiden warrior bearing a complete set of gear, and a disposition that told you she’d deprive you of your manhood should you even look at her with lusty eyes, her position as a merc for hire was secure.

No one looked twice.

Which was exactly as planned.

Her current mission was to pass through the free lands, before crossing over into Coalition territory to gather up information.

Seven nations.

Seven banners.

One fragile unity.

And all of them terrified of Visigoth.

Leaf’s orders were simple.

Observe. Record. Do not interfere.

She would easily be exposed as a foreigner due to the difference of appearance from those of the south continent compared to the east.

Though with everything that was currently going on.

Well the presence of mercenaries in the east was actually increasing.

Mercenaries were swords for hire, additional forces for either side all for the tidy sum of a bag of gold, or perhaps two.

Of course any leader with brains would never bother hiring mercenaries who were loyal to their pay but not to those who paid them.

Many times Mercenaries would flee the field of battle before doing their duty as hired help, or worse turning round to fight their employers after receiving a better offer from the enemy side.

So for Nana to in the coming week arrive in the Thracian Kingdom, the coalition memebrs and counter-espianoge agents wouldnt even bat an eye at her arrival.