Imperator: Resurrection of an Empire-Chapter 426 - 421 -

The gates of the Eternal City loomed behind them—vast stone walls kissed by morning light, banners stirring lazily in the breeze as if unaware of what they represented.

Julius slowed his horse just beyond the outer road and turned in the saddle.

Serena did the same.

For a long moment, neither spoke.

From here, the city looked almost gentle.

Sunlight caught on marble domes and tiled roofs, turning the eternanal city into a crown of white and gold resting upon the grassy plains.

The roads hummed with life already—merchants calling, citizens moving, soldiers changing shifts.

An empire breathing on its own, without him standing at the center of every pulse.

That, perhaps more than anything, was what allowed him to leave.

He let his gaze linger, committing the sight to memory.

Not because he feared it would be gone when he returned—but because he knew he would never see it again from this exact moment, in this exact way.

Just like how the last time he left the city behind marching off to war, the city had gone under immense changes before his return.

And though his planned away was far shorter than the last, at the speed the Empire was growing, the look of his capital city would surely have changed before his vacation, or pre-honeymoon was over.

Serena watched him quietly, giving him that grace.

Finally, Julius exhaled.

"Well," he said lightly, forcing a smile into his voice, "if something catastrophic happens, at least history will say I left when things were stable."

Serena huffed. "Comforting."

He turned his horse forward again, but not before Serena reached out and caught his sleeve.

"Julius."

He looked over at her.

Up close, dressed as she was now—no jewels, no sigils, no trappings of authority—she looked younger.

Not drastically so, as she was still in her early twenties but even still, without the pomp and surplus behind her she looked like a young girl who just graduated high school, just about the same physical age of himself.

Her eyes searched his face, serious now.

"You don’t need to carry everything," she said softly. "The point of this get away was to unburden you, after all."

He nodded once. "I know."

Then, after a pause, he added, quieter, "But I don’t know how to stop all at once."

She smiled faintly. "Then don’t. Just day by day, make an effort to do... well less than the last."

Their hands lingered together for a heartbeat longer before she released him and nudged her horse forward.

~

They rode west.

The roads outside the capital were a sight to behold. 𝓯𝓻𝒆𝙚𝒘𝓮𝙗𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝒍.𝙘𝓸𝙢

Compared to years ago when they first settled here in these lands, it was like the difference between the stone age and the modern age.

Where were were dusty dirt trails or sometime not even that just carriage wear marks in the grassy fields, now there were properly structured Roman Roads.

Wide enough for carriages to travel two abrest if they wanted to, or as Julius would call it the slow lane, and the express lane.

The roads themselves were many layered, providing ample support for even military convoys without causing unessessary wear and tear to the road network itself, while also having the roads be slightly slanted to allow for rain or slow to drain off the roadway itself.

The sounds of civilization softened—bells and voices fading into the distance behind them until only hooves, wind, and birdsong remained.

Julius rode slightly ahead and to the left, instinctively positioning himself between Serena and the open land.

Anyone watching would see exactly what he intended them to see: a capable mercenary escorting a noblewoman or wealthy traveler.

His cloak concealed a blade at his back.

His sword the almost divine Heavenly demon rain, was also sporting a disguise, hiding away in a makedo sheathe that would make any who saw his gear think that it was a well worn blade having seen numerous battles by his side, but nothing that would make other jealous enough to make an attempt to claim the blade as their own from him.

His armor was light, practical, and unadorned.

Just simple Leather armor that provided all around protection but was vastly inferior to the heavy iron or steel armor available to his forces in the military.

Serena, for her part, looked like a merchant’s daughter or minor noble—sporting a mantle similar to Julius’s own, but she had no armor beneath it.

Her clothes were fine as far as travelling clothes went, but she would remain a non-combatant on this trip, not that she had even expressed and desire or intent to learn the paths of war, as Yurasia had in her youth.

Still, Julius knew beauty drew danger regardless of class.

Even if she were dressed up as a pauper, her fair skin, and faultless face would easily shatter anything that would cause people to turn away just because of perceived upbringing or social class.

The system meanwhile hummed faintly at the edge of his perception.

Praetorian shadows adjusted their distance as the city receded, spreading into a loose, invisible net across the terrain.

Two rode ahead of them, while another four pretended to be a merchant convoy trailing a few kilometers behind.

Others weaving through woodland and roadside cover. following alongside but from a distance that none would spot them unless they were looking for them.

If bandits watched from afar, they would see nothing, nothing save for perhaps a few teenagers or adults on a riding lesson, or long distance ride to gain greater skill in horsemanship.

If something moved closer... Julius would know.

And using the system he could call out a mayday, getting the Praetorians who encircled him to rush in as reinforcements capable of joining any conflict within minutes.

Serena glanced sideways at him. "You’re very quiet."

"Taking it in," he replied.

She followed his gaze, taking in the open land, the distant hills rolling like waves frozen in time.

"It’s strange," she said. "I’ve read reports about these regions for years. Population counts. Crop yields. Taxation difficulties."

"And now?" he prompted.

"And now," she said slowly, "they feel... real. Not just lines on parchment. Aside from Nova Carthago, and the Eternal City, i havent gotten the chance to explore more of your Empire, beyond my homeland Province of Carthage."

Julius smiled. "Well, we’re fixing that now. And if things go well over the coming years we’ll get more opportunities like this as well."

She laughed softly. "This coming from a man who only known his own country thanks to the wars he’s waged?"

"Fair," he admitted.

They rode on in companionable silence.

By midday, the Eternal City was no longer visible, save for upon the projected screen of the system.

The road forked near an old stone marker—weathered, cracked, bearing symbols from before Romanus had even been a concept, pointing towards both the West towards Roserun, or rather the Province of Rosaria.

Or north towards what had become Brigantia.

Julius slowed, studying it with a thoughtful expression.

Serena noticed. "Something interesting?"

"Maybe," he said. "Or maybe just... history trying not to be forgotten."

She dismounted to examine it closer, brushing moss aside with her gloved hand.

Tilting her head slightly at the words she read.

Afterall her knowledge of the region was from when it was already under Romanus control, save for the Roserun Kingdom, but the origional name of the northern territory escaped her, for it had always been Brigantia in her mind.

As she came to the realization that this marker was a relic of a time before his coming to rule, Julius himself was pondering about whether or not to go about redoing all these markers spread across his lands or taking a page out of the British from his old world and leaving them as is, to confuse and confound potential invaders or foreigners who could only rely on surface information or local signs for directions.