”Well, even if you don’t have the Aggressor support, at least the people will be thrilled to see this much bloodshed.”
That was Legatus Caius’s answer when Jean told him her proposal.
All the gladiators under Caius, regardless of experience or history, would be put in the arena in a single fight. Thousands would enter, and only a hundred would survive. These one hundred warriors would be given to Jean as the recruits to her Aggressor-assisted superhuman army.
Caius might be joking on the surface, but behind the scenes, he was hardly slowing down. After being told the Aggressors intended on making Legatus Decimus the new head of the Roman Empire, the Legatus was willing to do anything to win him the favor of the would-be head of the Empire.
Within less than a day, the whole city of Syras knew the game of the century. People flocked to the arenas, sweeping away whatever tickets Legatus Caius’s officials put into the market. The price of each ticket was worth a hundred of the normal games, but no one cared. Many Romans might live their whole lives without seeing a game that involves this many participants.
That was good. Caius needed that. Whatever happens in the arena, these thousands of gladiators that has cost him a fortune would be gone. He needed the gold to rebuild his ranks. Decimus promised to pay for the expenses, but Caius refused. He wanted a favor, not a trade.
A game like this would take over three days to prepare. With Caius handling the details, Jean planned on staying in the mansion for the entire time. Of course, that didn't mean she had to stay in her bed and sleep for the entirety of the three days.
Jean gave it a final thrust before pulling out of the slave girl before her.
Unfortunately for Miss Turner, Legatus Decimus shared the common issue of Roman masters at his time: he was a fan of sexual pleasure. Jean usurped his body, and to prevent anyone from sensing the difference, she had to mimic his habits for the time being. She was no stranger to sex, but it was indeed her first time doing so in a man’s body.
It felt odd...also, it was a complete waste of time.
The slave quietly stood up. She knew the habits of her master all too well. He was a horse in the process, but once he’s done, he would become the most ruthless son of a bitch the world has seen. Once a fellow slave assaulted by him got up too slow, and the Legatus had her awarded to his guards. She could still remember her screams.
She picked up her garments and left the room without another word.
Jean stood up and put her clothes back on. She walked to a table, where a map of the entire army was located.
Legatus Decimus commanded 40,000 men. In the past, 25,000 of them were deployed in the alternate dimension whereas the rest of them stayed home, securing the Legatus’s territory in the Empire of 15 cities and a total of three million people. The other warlords in the Empire were hardly any better than the Voyagers. Given the opportunity, they would be more than happy to add Decimus’s territory to their control and his women to their bed.
The 15,000 men at home were all infantry legionnaires, commanded by Military Tribune Lorus. He was aided by Tribune Kalas, who took care of the civil and social affairs.
Decimus’s wife, Volcatia, remained in a villa in the capital city of Cayden.
When Decimus returned to the Empire, he took all 25,000 warriors with him, but this army was too big to fit into Syras, so he had his lieutenant, Marcus, help the men set up encampment miles outside the city. He ventured into Syras under the protection of a squad of 300 personal guards, led by Captain Caeso.
300 men didn't look like much, but King Leonidas would beg to differ. Plus, if Caius intended Decimus any harm, these elite guards would buy some time with their blades, their armors, and if those weren’t enough, their bodies. Just Caius’s influence inside the city would find themselves held back, and if Caius chose to move his own forces, also stationed outside the city, they would be spotted by Decimus’s spies, and it would be an all out free for all.
Jean paid more attention to this information than she did and ever would to that slave girl back there. In the end, these resources were just temporary, but she could definitely turn these temporary influences into something permanent.
Namely, the souls in the arena. Centuries of pain and suffering, all spent on making Jean’s Power of Death a bit more deadly.
Jean stood up and straightened her armor before heading for the door. Outside, a large man at least two meters in height stood, well, tall. A thick layer of armor covered his body. On his belt was a giant blade that could chop a man into two.
“My lord?”
Jean glanced at him. He was Captain Caeso, the head of Decimus’s guard regiment. If memories served, he came from a barbarian clan that was forced to its knee before Decimus’s father. After that, these clansmen were pressed into servitude, some as slaves and others as soldiers. Caeso was promoted to Decimus’s guard captain. His strength was one of the factors. The other factors included his lack of remorse and the total willingness to kill anyone anywhere anytime for Decimus.
Honestly, the man was lucky. When Decimus confronted Jean, everyone in the room except for the Voyager died. Completely and utterly. Their bodies and their souls alike were wiped off the surface of this realm by the Power of Death. But Caeso was out on another task. Apparently someone was talking shit about Decimus behind his back in the city, and Caeso was sent to “educate” them.
When he returned with half a dozen heads attached to his belt, he had no idea his master has been replaced. Jean told everyone the guards she killed were sent on a side mission. Not a single one of these loyal men questioned the words of the warlord they have pledged themselves to.
“Gather a security detail. We’re going out for a walk.”
“As you command, my lord.”
The captain acted quickly. In just minutes, when Jean walked out of the mansion, she was followed by two slave servants and a squad of twenty fully armed guards.
The streets of Syras were busy. After all, as the capital to Legatus Caius, Syras was the heart of Caius’s territories. Merchants from all over the world set up booths along the pedestrian pathways. Some had basic merchandise, but others had more luxurious ones. Occasionally, a few men in rag-tagged clothing walked to their booths and picked up something for examination, but the merchants sat back comfortably. A single glance of their expert eyes told them these weren’t the proper customers, so spending time on them would be a huge waste.
The poor obviously weren’t too happy about being neglected, but there was nothing they could do but whisper a few curses and leave. The guards at the corners of the market told them doing anything beyond swearing might land them in prison.
Suddenly, one of the said merchants landed his eyes on Jean. The man stood up immediately.
Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more.
“O generous lord! Please, grant me a few moments of your time! You will not be disappointed.”
Jean halted in her tracks. She stayed there for a second, as if listening to something, before suddenly grinning and walking to that merchant’s booth. Her guards quietly surrounded the stall, blocking out the pedestrian waves. Those who were pushed aside kept their mouths shut and their curses to themselves after eyeing the weapons and armors of the guards.
“Do not disappoint me.”
Jean said quietly. She was far from polite, but no one found it odd. Roman warlords like Decimus reserved their politeness for their equal.
“Here, my lord. Look!” The merchant took out a cage with a serpent inside. “This venomous snake was captured in the barbaric forest of Gaul. It killed half a dozen tribesmen before the survivors lured it into a trap. Its strikes are rapid and untraceable. Legend says its victims are dead before feeling the pain of being struck. It will be a brilliant thing to use on your enemies!”
Jean nodded slowly. “Not bad. I’ll buy it. Anything else?” She didn't ask for the price of the snake. That would be out of character.
The merchant took out a sheathed blade. Captain Caeso took a step forward cautiously. Half of his blade was pulled out. The merchant froze in fear.
“I apologize, my lord...that was foolish of me…”
“No need.” Jean held her hand up and stopped Caeso from terminating the threat. She spoke with a proud voice. “I have braved through countless battles with enemies not of this world. I have no fear of a man of business and a dagger.”
As the guard captain stepped back, the merchant slowly pulled out the sword and held it out in his palms.
“This sword is forged from the remains of a meteorite. It holds the power to break steel and bend iron.”
Jean nodded. She took out her own weapon and clashed it against the sword the merchant provided. The clash ended quickly. Before she realized it, her own sword was snapped in two.
“That is an impressive blade indeed.”
Jean quietly put retreated the unscathed sword back into its sheath and set it on the booth right beside the snake’s cage.
“Of course, those two are just appetizers.” The merchant waved his hand, and behind him, two servants walked over. One with a glass bottle and the other with two cups.
“This wine is made from the finest grapes in Rome. Please, have a taste.”
Jean watched as the servant poured some wine into a cup and handed it to her with his head lowered. But she didn't drink it. The merchant must’ve realized his mistake as well, because he took over the wine bottle and poured out a tiny fraction into another cup before emptying it into his mouth.
It was to show that the wine wasn’t poisoned.
Jean glanced at the cup in her hand. She held it up to her lips. With the corner of her eye, she glanced at the merchant before suddenly smashing the glass cup onto the ground.
“You could’ve been a great actor. It’s a shame to chose the path of an assassin.”
The next moment, the smile on the merchant disappeared, and the man reached down to the sheath and pulled out the blade he just sold Jean. The two servants behind him dropped whatever they were holding and pulled out two mini-crossbows.
The crowd exclaimed before running toward every direction to get themselves as far away from this place as possible. Captain Caeso and the guards reached for their weapons, but they were caught by surprise as well.
Jean reacted quickly. Under all these watchful eyes, the Power of Death was off-limit, but that didn't mean she was useless. A swipe on her belt sent a dagger into the neck of one of the servants. The merchant charged forward, but Jean sent another dagger flying toward him, forcing him to defend himself. By the time he cut the dagger into two, Jean was already a few steps back.
Reducing three men into dust with one touch? That was beyond what a Roman warlord was capable of. But flinging daggers was not.
Caeso and the other guards finally moved forward. The servant’s crossbow fired a bolt at Jean, but Caeso easily deflected it. Four guards quickly overwhelmed the servant. When they were done just two seconds later, the servant was in a dozen pieces.
“Take him alive.” Jean ordered as her guards closed in on the last assassin. The one posing as a merchant. Suddenly, her eyes subtly glanced at the surrounding.
The next second, a dozen bolts of arrows flew into the market from the least expected directions. Corners. Other booths. Rooftops. A single glance of the surrounding told Jean there were 24 assassins after her.
Someone really wanted Legatus Decimus dead.
The arrows were accurate. Immediately, five guards whose eyes were trained on the merchant were stuck in the back. The arrows were armor-piercing ones. They went through the armors like they didn't exist.
Three came for Jean, but she dodged all of them.
“Seize them!” One of the captains of a Roman patrol in this area loyal to Caius screamed before an arrow found a new home in his throat. A wave of bombardment from the assassins sent his entire squad to the ground. Not a single shot deviated from the neck, the head, or the chest.
“Protect the Legatus!” Captain Caeso no longer had the time to be worried about the merchant. He and the other guards quickly formed a defensive line around Jean, using the stalls of the market as cover. Decimus’s personal guards were indeed elites. After the initial surprise attack, they didn't take another casualty from the arrows.
Realizing projectiles couldn’t get the job done, the 24 assassins split into two groups. Six of them controlled high grounds, mainly rooftops, and provided cover fire while the other 18 went for the ground. Their crossbows were replaced by daggers. They charged at the 15 Decimus guards fearlessly.
Caeso and his men clashed with them. They were outnumbered, but these skilled warriors knew they couldn’t afford to retreat. The arrows from the assassins could fly much faster than they could run.
The initial engagement saw casualties on both sides. Caeso removed the head of two assassins. Three guards were so caught up by the assassins with daggers that they forgot about those with crossbows.
One assassin put down a guard with a cut to the neck before going straight to Jean. Just as his blade was about to draw blood, Jean turned around and pushed the bottom half of her blade into his chest.
Within the first minute of the battle, six men fell on both sides. Jean’s personal guards were good soldiers. In a real battlefield, they could form a formation, work together, and crush the assassins. But it was impossible to form a formation in the marketplace, and in one on one duels, the assassins were much better.
The casualties were even, but there were still more assassins than guards. For a moment, it almost seemed like the assassins were going to achieve their goal. Even Jean had to pick up a sword and join the fight.
Suddenly, a wave of footsteps closed in from all four directions. The assassins glanced at each other.
“The reinforcement shouldn’t be here already. This is too soon!”
“What do we do?”
“Finish our mission. Take out Decimus!”
But it was already too late. Within moments, hundreds of elite Roman guards have already marched into the battlefield. They were the rest of Jean’s guards inside the city. The few assassins on the ground were immediately cornered and slaughtered.
“My lord.” A lieutenant of Jean’s guards walked up to her and saluted with a fist to the chest. “The entire regiment is deployed, as you commanded. We have secured this area.”
Yes. As Jean commanded. Right before she left the mansion, Jean handed the lieutenant a note and told him to open it within thirty minutes. When the lieutenant did just that, he read the note that held an order for him to move to the market place immediately. He did just that.
The man had no idea how Jean had everything so planned out, but he has spent enough time in the Roman command structure to know sometimes knowledge meant death. The honorable Legatus Decimus probably had a secret network of spies and a secret plan for something. He would be a fool to make inquiries.
Jean nodded. If she said the assassination caught her by surprise, that would be a lie. Her observers have already covered the entire city. But she wanted this to unfold nonetheless. As for why...
Jean glanced at the merchant. Realizing the mission was already lost, the man quietly slit his own throat. He didn't want to live to test the interrogation methods of Decimus’s goons.
“My lord. A few of the assassins managed to get away.” On the side, Caeso walked up. Both his blade and his armor were covered in blood of the assassins. “Shall we pursue?”
“No. It would be of no use.” Jean returned what was left of her sword into the sheath. Suddenly, she went to the stall and picked up the blade the merchant offered her as disguise. She quietly stuck it into her own sheath.
At least the assassins offered her a great blade.
“Tell the guards to be ready to move. I need to have a conversation with Legatus Caius.”