Imperator: Resurrection of an Empire

The envoys from the Principality of Christendom had burst into a celebration of the Carthaginian nobles and visiting allies only to be rebuked in the end.

Even the Cardinal and his entourage were hastily making to depart from the city and the country as a whole, Julius just sat at his table enjoying the meal he was provided with.

Taking in the sight of revelry and bonding between the victorious Carthaginian and even his own men.

The bonds of comraderie were alive and well.

Next to him, Queen Serena was daintily eating her own provided plate of food but there was a worried look cast on her face preventing truly enjoying this occasion.

She should be happy since this was a double event the true end to their war of liberation and her very own engagement party.

But worry clouded her mind as she thought back to the Principalities words.

It was true her nation or rather the newest province of Romanus had been devastated and even with the restoration efforts Julius was conducting on his trek to the capital, the nation as a whole still had serious definicies specifically when it came to manpower.

tens of thousands had been slain in battle, and many thousands more were culled by the invading ramie forces mainly those who opposed the invasion, so while the overall population was there, what was truly missing was those capable of running the nation.

And even with schools created by Julius's system power it would still be month or possibly even years before skilled administrators could be trained up but until then Romanus would need to send skills scholars and scribes to fill the role while new personnel are trained up locally.

"Dear, why put on such a face are you dissatisfied with things after all?"

As she stewed inside of her mind, this calm voice cut through all the noise and revelry happening all around her.

"huh?"

Shaking her head to locate the source she found that the young man, Julius, whom she'd just become engaged to was half turned in his seat almost front facing her.

A concerned look etched across his face as he stared hard at her.

"No! no no no... i swear it's not about that, it's just,"

"Those envoy's huh?"

His words cut her off, but she was not dismayed but instead pleased her loved one could practically read her mind.

"I wouldn't worry about that, sure we'll lose a few thousand more of your countrymen but if they are willing to follow the words of a foreign monarch over trusting, and believing in their own leaders are they really even your people anymore?"

*gasp*

His words were harsh but well thought out, it was true, anyone who listened to a foreign monarchs command and would openly abandon their nation fleeing to the other would be viewed by the loyal peoples of the nation as traitors.

"They will make their choices and be required to live with their choices for better or worse. Don't worry, we'll even help at first light to make sure we can expel any possible spies and sources of civil unrest from within our lands."

"You'll... help them?"

"Yes, I don't plan to rule as a tyranant if anyone wants to leave and go live under the rule of the church they are free to do so, but if the church decides to go a step further than the excommunication and attack us, then by the power of the gods, they and their god will come to regret it."

The rest of the night with her primary worries allayed Serena once more became herself again and joined in on the party, then once everyone was fed and almost all were drunk the participants were allowed to retire to their rooms for the night.

Julius returned to his own room and under guard of his praetorians was able to sleep the night away without fear of assasination.

~

The Captial city just like their leaders had well and truly enjoyed themselves in celebrations, however when morning came a stage had been setup on the palatial steps as the commoners were waking up the noise of the discovered stage began to spread and the crowd that had formed before to greet the returning queen and the man who she'd come back to the capital with assembled once again but this time they did not line the city streets but packed into the city square, tens of thousands formed up awaiting whatever message the lords or their queen would present to them from atop that stage.

And the people did not need to wait long.

For once the square was even 1/2 full as more and more people were pouring in, a company of soldiers could be seen slowly descending from the palatial steps, and then behind them came a lone pair of persons.

From afar the pair looked similar, as they both worse similar colored clothing.

~

With the morning having come Julius awoke and exited his room, greeting and thanking his guards who'd stood vigile all night long.

Then he met up with the captain in charge of the current shift of royal guards.

"Sir! We are pleased to report that no events occurred throughout the night, the Cardinal has departed the city, and the stage you requested has also been erected, all legionaires who assisted in the work were provided a flagon of wine in compensation per your orders."

The captain upon seeing Julius hastily took a knee before spitting out his report in a single breath.

"Get up get up, no need to bow to me, you're all my royal guard after all, what if someone chose that exact moment when your guard was down to bow to me in order to strike!"

Mostly uncomfortable with those who were closest to him thanks to being around him all the time bowing down in reverance.

In the end since the message wasn't getting across he created an extreme indicating that their reverence for him was actually a slight on their part when guarding him, and using this as the starting point he ordered and decreed that save for formal settings none of his men (Soldiers) even need to bow to him but instead offer up the much less embarrassing and simpler double tap to the heart followed by an extended arm.

This was another thing Julius stole from the empire he knew from antiquity back on Earth.

As this action of salute was theorized to be a method in which one could 'give you heart' by way of tapping it in the same manner of its beat (Ba-dump (Tap tap)) followed by extending the arms that tapped the heart in a way of offering up the arm, not aggressively but more so submissively.