Imperator: Resurrection of an Empire

~ Two Weeks After the Trees Founding ~

Julius sat in his office within his palaces penthouse.

His mind racing a mile a minute as he dealt with paperwork of the nation requiring his attention.

Paperwork that only grew with the implementation of his own intelligence branch though still in its infancy.

But as much as he worked, as much as he planned, Julius felt the weight of it crushing down on him.

It wasn't just strategy.

It wasn't just a battle.

It was guilt.

Loss.

A wound that even time refused to heal, as if he was grieving her very death.

His people saw him as their Invincible Emperor which was the mythos he had built up around himself so far.

The unshakable force behind the rise of Rome.

But inside?

Inside, he was still the young man, the boy who had failed to protect her...

The boy who had let her be taken from him...

Who desperately wanted the chance to make things right again.

And he would make damn sure he would not fail again!

~

For the first time in weeks, Julius allowed himself to breathe.

His foundation of the Tree, and own participation in the graduation exam had given him a means and training on how to escape his life as an emperor

Dressed in common robes, with only a single dagger hidden beneath his belt, he slipped past his own Praetorian guards, as he exfiltrated the palace, absconding beyond it's very walls, as he began to walk the streets of Romanus not as an emperor—

But simply as a common man.

No Praetorian Guard.

No commanders.

No advisors.

Just Julius.

The scent of fresh bread filled the air as bakers called out their morning deals.

The ringing of iron filled the streets as blacksmiths hammered away at new tools and weapons the very driving force of Romanus industry.

Children laughed as they played in concrete roads, weaving between market stalls and hurried merchants.

This was what he had fought for up to now.

This life.

Not just conquest.

Not just glory.

But this.

A place where people could live without fear, a place worthy of being called the Roman Empire.

~

"Hey, old man, watch it!"

Julius blinked as something small and fast crashed into him, causing him to stumble before catching himself barely remaining standing.

A boy—barely ten years old—scrambled backward, his wide brown eyes filled with panic, almost preparing to be lashed out at by the man he'd just crashed into.

Julius steadied himself, amused as he stared down at the young lad.

"I hardly think 'old' applies to me, I'm not even twenty yet."

he mused.

The boy froze.

Then his eyes narrowed.

"Wait… I know you!"

Julius raised a brow.

"Oh?"

"You're—!"

The boy hesitated, looking around.

Then, he leaned in and whispered.

"You're him... right?"

Julius smirked.

"And who do you think 'him' is?"

The boy grinned.

"The guy who beat the bad guys and gave us such a great place to live!"

Julius chuckled.

"That's quite the reputation, he seems almost like a bit of a storybook legend."

The boy beamed.

"My papa says we should thank him with all our hearts. Says we'd all be dead without him, or maybe even worse. But mama says he's scary, and that my sister needs to stay away from him."

Julius tilted his head.

"Ha ha ha is that so, and what about you? what do you think?"

The boy thought for a moment.

Then he shrugged.

"Well... i think you look tired."

Julius stared at him.

Then—

For the first time in weeks—

He laughed.

A laugh that could only be brought out by the brutal honesty of children, their innocent unfiltered thoughts cutting right to the heart of the matter.

Julius left the boy to rejoin his friends, before once more taking in the cities sights, though he did doff a hood seeing as how more of his people knew his face than he originally anticipated.

The city was alive in ways the palace could never be.

The winding alleyways and streets pulsed with merchants hawking their wares, street performers juggling flaming torches, and soldiers laughing boisterously outside taverns as the day's festivities started to settle in.

"Ha, that's a good sign at least, the morning light has only just passed and already they've started up the party once more."

Getting the chance to consume the local delicacies was something he longed for as something of a foodie, being the sort to try all the new fanciful creations when attending a festival or fair back on earth.

His first stop was a food stall nestled between two stone buildings, where an old woman was frying thin slices of spiced lamb meat on a massive iron griddle.

The sizzling fat dripped down into the fire, sending up a rich aroma that made his mouth water.

"One, please,"

he said, with no hesitation, fishing a coin from his pouch.

The woman barely looked up from her work on the grill as she slapped the meat onto a thick, crusty piece of bread, dousing it with a tangy red sauce before wrapping it in a simple leaf like wrapper and handing it to him.

"Two coppers."

He dropped a silver instead.

Her eyes flickered to him suspiciously.

"Big spender, huh?"

"Just paying for good food,"

Julius said with a smirk before taking a bite.

The flavours hit his tongue in waves—the spice of the sauce, the char of the meat, the warmth of the toasted bread.

It was simple but perfect, everything the common food could ask for.

He had eaten extravagant palace feasts prepared by talented chefs, but this?

This was the taste of the city, the true taste of the common man, something he had started to miss.

The old woman scoffed.

"Shouldn't waste your coin on street food, boy. Save it for ale."

Julius chuckled, taking another bite as he moved on.

Once more exploring the city he had created, traveling like he were a tourist, visiting the real rome, a place he had only knowledge of in textbooks and video.